 |
| Images of Saturn taken from our Backyard 12 months apart |
As you can see from these superimposed images of Saturn, taken a year apart, the angle of our view has changed quite significantly.
In 2013 our view of the rings is less oblique and as a consequence they appear to have opened up. In the 2012 image, you can see that sunlight illuminated Saturn obliquely from one side creating a shadow of the main body of the planet on the rings to one side only (to the left on my image). In April 2013, with the planet at opposition, the Sun illuminated Saturn 'face-on' and therefore a shadow of the planet's main body can be seen in my image on both sides of the rings.
It is also quite clear that the contrast between the bright 'B' ring and the main body of the planet is much greater in April 2013 than May 2012. This brightening of the rings occurs at opposition and is known as the 'Seeliger Effect'.
see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_surge
No comments:
Post a Comment