The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A spectacular celestial event will happen on Saturday

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 08, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A spectacular celestial event will happen on Saturday

Lalithasai

Saturn will rise as the Sun sets on February 10

A view of Saturn with its rings and the Cassini Division.

CHENNAI: As the Sun sets on February 10, the ringed planet Saturn will rise with a steady, golden light near the constellation Leo on the eastern sky.

"On the average, at its most distant point, the distance between this cloud-covered planet and the Earth will be 157 crore km", says P. Iyamperumal, Executive Director, Tamilnadu Science and Technology Centre, Chennai.

Saturn will move to a point 180 degrees away from the Sun, that is the diametrically opposite side of the Sun, as viewed from the Earth. It is said to be at opposition and is practically the best time to observe the celestial event. It is in this configuration that the planet makes its closest advance to the Earth. It is fully illuminated by the Sun and as a result appears the largest and brightest. It will be visible at night because it appears to rise at sunset and set at sunrise.

According to Mr. Iyamperumal, during this opposition on the night of February 10, the apparent angular size of Saturn will grow to 20.32 arc seconds (one arc second is 1/3600th of a degree) as the distance between the Earth and the planet reduces to 122.7 crore kms.

What will it look like? Weather permitting and with the help of telescopes, one may be able to view the planet as a golden ball shining amid its rings. "We can also spot the moon Titan and the Cassini Division (large gap between the rings)," he said.

Saturn, unlike other planets, features a spectacular system of rings, which will not be as clear as they were seen in 2003. Because the Earth and this planet travel in different orbits, the rings appear to be tilted and this tilt changes continuouslyto an observer from Earth. "Presently they will be tilted to our line of sight to Saturn by about a 14 degrees angle. The ring tilt will decrease each year until 2009 when we will be again seeing it edge-on, or a nearly invisible view of the rings," added Mr. Iyamperumal.

One gets a magnificent view of the ring system only when they are fully slanted towards the Earth, and when the icy pieces in the system reflect more sunlight. B. M. Birla Planetarium arranging for the public to view the event at the Periyar Science and Technology Centre, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Chennai, on February 10 between 7.30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

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