Earth as seen through the rings of Saturn...

[caseydog]

Neil deGrasse Tyson never fails to expand my mind. This interview on The Late Show really puts things into perspective. In a good way. Knowing I am a blip in time and space makes me want to live life to the fullest, and stop worrying about stuff that doesn't really matter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4pCl0MWNa0

CD

 

[Caslon]

Neil's "Star Talk" tv show puts me to sleep every episode.

The same with with Morgan Freeman and "Through the Wormhole". His latest episode deals with "terrorism." huh? what?

 

[Farmer Jon]

I tried watching through the worm hole. I'm out in 10 minutes flat.

 

[Caslon]

These latest pics from the Cassini spacecraft. Is it me or does Saturn still look like a blurry gaseous ball?

 

[Vinylhanger]

Nope. I was excited when I saw the headline on some site. I was expecting it to look like Star Trek Voyager, with diamond like dancing rings. Nope, it just looks like blurry old gas.

 

[rodentraiser]

You guys need a telescope. I got to watch Saturn eclipsing a star once on my old 6" Celestron. The star would wink on and off as it passed through the rings and then it was finally right between the innermost ring and the planet itself. It looked like Saturn was wearing a tiny diamond. So pretty.

And with good seeing, even a smaller scope can show you Cassini's division in the rings.

 

[caseydog]

I remember a long time ago, driving way, way out into the North Texas countryside to view a meteor storm with a neighbor of mine. We put some camping mats down, laid on our backs, and watched dozens of "shooting stars" zip across the moonless sky.

That was when I realized just how little I knew about the universe I am a part of.

CD

 

[Vinylhanger]

We do that quite often at our place. Just sit in the front or back yard and star gaze. One of my favorite things about the country.

 

[Caslon]

A neighbor rolled out his 8" reflecting telescope into the street one night long ago. I was cruising around the night sky when I happened upon Saturn with its rings! I was jazzed. Galileo must have been jazzed too.

 

[Caslon]

A neighbor rolled out his 8" reflecting telescope into the street one night long ago. I was cruising around the night sky when I happened upon Saturn with its rings! I was jazzed. Galileo must have been jazzed too.

Correction about Galileo seeing Saturn's rings.

This is Galileo's sketch of Saturn in 1616 after studying it thru the equivalent of a toy telescope today.

"Galileo described the appearance as a planet with handles. Although we can easily make out the appearance of a ring, Neither Galileo nor fellow astronomers guessed that Saturn's shape was due to a ring. Theories of handles and ovals and triple planets lasted another 40 years, until Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens finally discovered the rings of Saturn in 1656".