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6 Years of Saturn http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090904.html Explanation: Today, planet Earth passes through the plane of Saturn's rings. From the perspective of earthbound astronomers, Saturn's rings will be edge-on. The problem is, Saturn itself is now very close to the Sun, low on horizon after sunset, so good telescopic images will be difficult to come by. Still, this composite of Saturn views taken from 2004 - 2009 (lower right to upper left) illustrates the change in ring tilt over the last six years and includes a nearly edge-on ring view, based on images captured earlier this year. While Saturn's south pole is clearly seen in the sequence, particularly at the lower right, it will be hidden in the coming years. Saturn's north pole will be increasingly visible, along with the tilting rings, as the planet emerges this fall in the predawn sky. Animação: http://www.avertedimagination.com/img_pages/6_years_of_saturn.html 6 years of Saturn observations were combined to create this animation showing the changing plane of the ring system as viewed from earth. The images used to create this animation can be seen here. http://www.avertedimagination.com/img_pages/6yearsofsaturn.html The final frame has been assembled from earlier 2009 observations to display how the planet will appear on September 4th, 2009 when the rings will appear edge on. Saturn and the sun are separated by 11 degrees on Sept. 4 and the planet will be only 5 degrees above the horizon at sunset... almost impossible to observe. In the fall of 2009 saturn will emerge from the glare of the sun in the early morning sky and provide our first glimpse of its northern pole in 14 years. -- Beijins Fa ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Se você não costuma acertar na primeira vez, esqueça o paraquedismo." -----------------------------------------------------------------------
