Presently, there are a selection of occasions going down involving Saturn’s moons. Saturn’s moons revolve within the aircraft of Saturn’s equator, so the define of their orbits matches that of the ring system. This implies when the rings are closed up sufficiently we will see Saturn’s moons present process ‘Galilean-type’ phenomena.
The best occasions to look at are these of Titan, Saturn’s big moon that’s the second largest pure satellite tv for pc within the Photo voltaic System, and Rhea, the tenth-magnitude second Moon. Just a few occasions involving Titan have already taken place this yr, although, sadly, none had been seen from the UK. There’s one to intention for throughout August.
On the morning of 9 August (eighth/ninth), Titan strikes behind Saturn’s previous limb at 4.45am BST (03:45 to 06:25 UT). Saturn is effectively positioned within the south-southwest, although pre-dawn twilight is gathering. A small telescope is your finest guess to look at this occultation.
