(SNES) Dave's observations of Saturn

[Albireo54@aol.com]

Hi Dave,

Very nice report - thanks for contributing it to us all. 

<< I observed the Encke division for the first time during moments of steady 
seeing.>>

That's a notable achievement, as many of us struggled with this target for 
years, with even larger scopes. I have only seen the true division (rather 
than the more easily seen "Encke minima") on one occasion, positively. 
Several other times were "probables". This was all in the 16" at FDO. I've 
seen fairly convincing reports of the Encke division being seen in scopes as 
small as 9.25". The quality of the air on a given night seems to be the 
deciding factor - along with a well collimated scope. Increasing aperture 
improves your chances on most nights - but it seems to be less important than 
one might think. 

The eight moons of Saturn are not too much of a challenge in scopes over 12", 
especially with the kind of software you mention. Hyperion is quite faint, 
and it really helps to have a position - so as not to mistake it for a 
background star. Mimas seems to be toughest of all, due to its constant 
proximity to the rings. This year we may try for the extremely challenging 
Phoebe, using FDO's 16" or a frequently visiting 20" Dob. Sky & Tel published 
positions for it, but at fainter than 16th magnitude, it will be some kind of 
challenge!

The Leonids are coming up this weekend, and the weather forecast looks pretty 
good at this early date. I hope you find a dark site to enjoy them - if you 
can't join us all down at Frosty Drew on Saturday night.

Regards,
Doug Stewart
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