[Friends_of_SSASTROS] Hoping...

[Mike McCabe]

...to close out the month on a high note.
Members and Friends of the SSAStros,
It's been a pretty spectacular year so far from an astronomy perspective. We've had occultations and conjunctions, comets and eclipses, we've done outreach and gone on field trips, and yes, even saw aurora. But other than the solar excitement, the month of May has been largely a bust. Now the moon is getting bigger by the night and any designs on deep sky observing aren't looking so great.
But the end of the month might offer up a pretty spectacular opportunity, if the sky is clear of course. 
On Friday morning, May 31st, the waning crescent Moon and Saturn will be in conjunction, and will appear close enough together to fit into the same medium power telescopic field of view.


Not only will the sight of the duo together in the eyepiece be spectacular, but Saturn's rings will be about as close to edge-on as they will get from our particular perspective.


The sight of Saturn's rings presented from a shallow angle is a special sight indeed. It happens roughly every 14 years, when our perspective on the King of the Rings changes from seeing one Saturnian hemisphere to that of seeing its other hemisphere. In this case we'll be shifting our view from northern to southern. So exactly when will we actually see the rings as edge on and thus essentially invisible to us?


Technically the answer is next March, the 23rd/24th of 2025 to be exact. But, unfortunately, we won't get to see - or not see it - as the case may be.


The problem lies in this teensy-weensy little detail; Saturn will be headed for solar conjunction at that time, so will be below the horizon during the times of darkness needed to view the planet.
So if you'd like to see Saturn with its rings at a really shallow angle, I'd suggest setting your alarm to beat the roosters out of bed, because as silly as it sounds, while we're absolutely headed for the edge-on perspective next spring, this fall's evening apparition of the planet will show the rings from a wider angle than they will appear from now through June/July of this year. Stupid orbital mechanics!
Keep Looking Up...and hoping that it will clear!!!
Sincerely,
Mike M.

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