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Planet Saturn Closest In 30 Years

Posted by michael on from the sprinkled-moondust-in-your-hair dept.

maliabu writes "Saturn will be coming to opposition (opposite the Sun in relation to Earth) on New Year's Eve. More details here. And of course a dedicated website Celestron Saturn Opposition 2003 too."

2 of 23 comments (clear)

  1. Galileo by BallPeenHammer · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Galileo first discovered the rings of Saturn during an opposition, too. (Opposition being the term for when Saturn is on the OPPOSITE side of the sky from the sun, therefore, the sun is shining directly on Saturn and Earth is also closest to Saturn.) It was in July of 1610 that he turned his telescope on that planet.

    As he wrote, "I discovered another very strange wonder, which I should like to make known to their Highnesses [the Medici]. . . , keeping it secret, however, until the time when my work is published . . . . the star of Saturn is not a single star, but is a composite of three, which almost touch each other, never change or move relative to each other, and are arranged in a row along the zodiac, the middle one being three times larger than the lateral ones, and they are situated in this form: oOo. " (http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Things/satur n.html)

    Even geniuses and famous discoverers make mistakes.

    --
    The Law of Falling Bodies
    1. Re:Galileo by Sparr0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Saturn:
      Maximum distance from Sun: 10.044 AU=1.503x10^9 km
      Minimum distance from Sun: 9.014 AU=1.348x10^9 km

      Earth:
      Maximum distance from Sun: 1.017 AU=1.521x10^8 km
      Minimum distance from Sun: 0.983 AU=1.471x10^8 km

      The two extreme cases for opposition (neither of which is possible because the two orbits arent aligned, but this illustrates the difference) put the planets at least 1.196x10^9 km apart, or at most 1.355x10^9 km apart. Thats a difference of about 159000000 (0s instead of scientific notation for emphasis) kilometers, or about 530 light seconds. An opposition happens every year (well, actually every 1.03 years), but we only come close to the closest approach (which, exactly, is infinitely rare) every 29.4 or so years.

      PS: And, to finalize this rant, the closest approach itself isnt even during an opposition, precisely BECAUSE the orbits arent aligned. I can draw you a picture if youd like.