The Ring Effect
“ For me , it was my first cosmic connection , on par with a first kiss . No other planet looks as unworldly or surreal as Saturn . When you see it floating in the eyepiece of your telescope , you feel as if you ’ ve uncovered mystery in the cosmos .”
Many astronomers can point to a single moment that set them off on a journey of celestial exploration- the first time they by Scott W . see the Rings of
Roberts
Saturn . The firstever telescopic observation of Saturn was made by Galileo with his custom telescope , but his telescope ’ s optics were not of sufficient correction to resolve the planet ’ s ring structure . In 1610 he wrote to The Duke of Tuscany , Cosimo II de ’ Medici : “ The planet Saturn is not alone , but is composed of three , which almost touch one another and never move nor change with respect to one another . They are arranged in a line parallel to the zodiac , and the middle one ( Saturn itself ) is about three times the size of the lateral ones ”… It would be another 50 years with improved telescopes before astronomers would become convinced that what they were seeing was a ring structure . Saturn ’ s rings as seen through almost any telescope today are often a moment of delight and initial disbelief … Bright and unmistakable against the darkness , Saturn is a jewel-like apparition- with an elegant system of rings encircling an olivine planet . Its mysterious beauty has driven generations of amateur stargazers , research astronomers and scientists to this present day to pursue a greater understanding of Saturn , its rings , and the dynamics of rings on other worlds as well .
-Carolyn Porco , planetary scientist
Cassini Project Scientist Dr . Linda Spilker from JPL shares some of her insights on the exploration of Saturn in these video clips . To view the interview segments , please click the images .
As someone who has spent a great deal of time introducing people to telescopes and star gazing , I never pass up the opportunity to show newbies Saturn . Sometimes they think that I have placed a photo in front of the telescope … they just can ’ t
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