I want to see Saturn.?

Question

What telescope is powerful enough? Where and when should I look up in the night sky? Is it possible to see any other moons with a commercial telescope? I live in upstate New York. Are there any websites I could visit that would help?

I've never looked up in the night sky with a telescope at all. I'd like to see all the planets, but Saturn is probably the best to start with... it's rings make it distinctive.

Answer 1

With a simple sky map, Saturn is easy to find right now.

It is currently in the constellation of Gemini, the Twins. Were we to use the popular tracing conceived by H.A. Rey, of "two matchstick men holding hands," Saturn is found between the legs of the twins.

Early on Wednesday evening, Dec. 10, Saturn will be the very bright yellowish-white "star" hovering to the lower right of a waning gibbous Moon as they rise out of the east-northeast part of the sky.

Saturn is the telescopic showpiece of the night sky, thanks to its great ring system in all of its icy, glimmering elegance. In small telescopes, the rings surprise even veteran observers with their chilling beauty. Certainly they will delight anyone this winter who might receive a telescope as a holiday gift.

Any telescope magnifying more than 30x will show them. Even most inexpensive department store telescopes should do the job (though if you're thinking about buying a telescope, you'll want to learn more and become a discerning buyer -- there's a lot of junk on the market.)

Source: http://www.space.com/spacewatch/saturn_guide_031205.html

Answer 2

Go outside in the early morning, probably later in the fall. Look for a bright yellow orange star in the East/South East, about half way up just before sunrise.

You need at least 60 power to see the rings. A $100 telescope is sufficient. One of those Meade scopes you can get for $85 to $150 at Wal Mart or Fryes or on line directly from Meade. Or Swift telescope. Or a small Celestion.

By December Saturn will be out all night and rather bright.

Answer 3

I have seen Saturn with a home telescope and it is kinda difficult. Jupiter is a great place to start because it is closer, big and interesting as well. The problem with Saturn is because it farther away you have to use more magnification to see it. The higher the magnification the harder it is to get it into view and track-it. To do this with a low priced telescope is hard. So your beginning to get into the money issue. I am not sure what magnitude lens I used but I was able to do it with a relative cheap telescope.

If you don't know where to look in the night sky you need to get an almanac or web site that tell you where it is. Right now it could be in the day sky not night.

It takes years for our view of the rings to change sometimes we're looking straight at them and they're not very impressive or visible. Start with Jupiter.

Answer 4

60mm lens max on a refractor type telescope, 100mm for a reflector type telescope

The Planets in August
Mercury
Mercury peeks above the Eastern horizon just before dawn for a few days during August, and on the morning of August 21st the tiny planet will joined in the sky by Venus, Saturn and the Moon.
Venus
Venus returns to our morning skies this month and its bright light should be easy to spot all month long. On the morning of August 21st, the shining planet will be in a group the includes Mercury, Saturn and the Moon.
Mars
Mars has gotten so dim and so close to the Western horizon that it would be very hard to see.
Jupiter
Jupiter returns to the early morning sky during August. It will be pretty close to the Eastern horizon just before dawn. On the morning of August 30th, look for the giant planet along with the Moon and the constellation Scorpius just before the Sun rises.
Saturn
Saturn climbs into view in the morning this month. The ringed giant will be low on the Eastern horizon, but you will be able to see it. On the morning of August 21st, it will be visible along with Venus and Mercury.
Uranus
You may be able to see Uranus this month. It is pretty high in the Southern sky. On the evening of August 10th, look for it fairly close to the Moon around midnight. Uranus is a pretty dim planet, so you will need dark skies and at least a small telescope to see it.
Neptune
Neptune is is also visible during August, but is even dimmer than Uranus. Try to find it using our map for August 10th.
Pluto
Pluto is visible during August, but is a target for large telescopes in very dark skies.
Sky Maps for August
Click on the date or the map thumbnail for a full-size map

AUG
8 August 8th, 5:30am looking East
You should be able to see both Mercury and Venus just before sunrise in the East the morning



AUG
10 August 10th, Midnight looking South
Uranus and Neptune will be on either side of the Moon tonight. Both of these planets are pretty dim, so you will need dark skies and probably a set of binoculars to see them.



AUG
18 August 18th, 5:30am looking East
The Moon will be in the center of a group made up of the constellations Orion, Gemini and Taurus this morning



AUG
21 August 21st, 5:30am looking East
There is a very special show in the sky this morning as you will be able to see Mercury, Venus, Sautrn and the Moon at the same time!



AUG
30 August 30th, 10:00pm looking South
Look for giant Jupiter and the Moon tonight.

Answer 5

use a telescope of 1200x
it will help, u can see jupiter's 4 moon through it, i saw them about 15 yrs ago. but move to the outskirts of a city to see them, so as there is less polution, and the sky is clear

Answer 6

download carte du ciel
http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

with this program you can see where saturnus is in the sky

You can see saturn sometimes with the bare eye.
I use a 114 mm miror telescope , you dont see much details but uou will see that saturn is a cirlce

Answer 7

You'll need a pretty big telescope, then aim it at Uranus first.

Answer 8

take telescope

Answer 9

bend over and look at Uranus... it's right next to that.

Answer 10

http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

http://www.starrynight.com/

these two sites will give you a great start