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Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman
Explanation:
Saturn and its magnificent
ring system
can offer even casual astronomers the most memorable of telescopic sights.
Wandering between Leo and Cancer
this
month, a bright
Saturn is
well placed for
viewing in
evening skies.
But from our earthbound perspective,
the tilt of Saturn's rings does
change with time.
In 1995 and 1996
the broad rings were edge-on and nearly invisible, gradually opening
to a spectacular
maximum tilt of about 27 degrees by 2003.
This frame from a
series of Saturn images beginning a year later,
in 2004, and ending just last month shows the steady decrease
in apparent tilt as the rings head toward another
edge-on presentation in 2009.
Saturn's south pole is toward the bottom.
Click on the picture to view the sharp, color gif movie.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Saturn - Saturn rings
Publications with words: Saturn - Saturn rings
See also:
- APOD: 2025 April 30 B A Happy Sky over Bufa Hill in Mexico
- APOD: 2025 April 29 B Saturns Rings Appear to Disappear
- APOD: 2025 February 23 B Saturn in Infrared from Cassini
- APOD: 2024 December 8 B Aurora around Saturns North Pole
- Saturn at Night
- APOD: 2024 August 27 B Moon Eclipses Saturn
- APOD: 2024 June 23 B The Colors of Saturn from Cassini