Saturn and the moon will appear in Tianyu on the 14th of this month, when "Lord of the Rings" will join hands with "Moon Girl" to compose a "Winter Love Song".
On September 8, 2019, Saturn was conjunct the moon. Fujian starry sky photography enthusiast Zhou Yannan and Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast Lang Maojin not only collaborated to take a close-up picture of Saturn accompanying the moon in Xiamen, Fujian that day, but also recorded the scene of the International Space Station passing through the lunar surface. . (Photo provided by the photographer)
Who is the most beautiful planet in the solar system? Many people will give the same answer - Saturn.
Xiu Lipeng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and an expert in astronomical science popularization, said that Saturn is a celestial body that is very friendly to visual observation. Without the aid of a telescope, Saturn appears as a small point of light, typically between magnitude 1 and 0. With a telescope, you can see that Saturn has a beautiful ring, like a "straw hat". Saturn's rings are made of rocks, ice and dust. In fact, not only Saturn has rings, but Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, but they are thinner.
With the development of the times and the advancement of science and technology, now, with the support of constantly improving telescope equipment, humans can easily observe the rings of Saturn and the more detailed structural features within them.
A close-up of Saturn taken by Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast Zhong Zhiqiang in Shunyi, Beijing on August 10, 2022. (Picture provided by myself)
Xiu Lipeng said that when viewed through a telescope, Saturn looks like a "round head wearing a big straw hat". The "beautiful brim" around the "head" is the rings of Saturn, which also makes the beautiful Saturn have A domineering name - "Lord of the Rings".
Saturn conjunct the moon means that when Saturn and the moon happen to move to the same right ascension, the angular distance between them is the closest. Although Saturn conjunct the moon is different from Saturn opposition, the latter is the best time to observe Saturn, but the "dialogue between the stars and the moon" brought about by Saturn conjunct the moon is also very exciting.
Comic production: Hu Yanzhu
Entering January, Saturn goes direct in Aquarius, located in the southwest sky at sunset, and its brightness is about 1st magnitude. After dark on the 14th, a crescent moon on the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month will appear in the southwest sky. If the weather is fine, interested members of the public will see a small light spot not far above the moon with the naked eye. This small light spot It's Saturn. The brightness of the moon is not high, which matches the brightness of Saturn, which is not particularly bright.
"About 3 hours after sunset, Saturn will fall below the horizon. Public who are interested in observing should hurry up. If conditions permit, you can also bring a telescope to observe Saturn and its 'straw hat'. It should be noted that before the observation, Be sure to choose an open and unobstructed location," Xiu Lipeng reminded.
Author:
Editor: Shi Wei Editor: Qian Yichen
Source: Xinhua News Agency
