Will I be able to see Saturn near the Moon?

[Visions]

I have a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ MD Reflector Telescope and a 10mm and 20mm eyepiece and a moon filter. I have been looking mostly at the moon so far but I see in my Astronomy Australia 2015 book and that on the 16th of this month at 8pm WST Saturn is 1.9 deg south of the Moon.

Should I be able to see Saturn with this? Or do I need a Barlow lens or something else?

[Hans Tucker]

You will definitely be able to see Saturn with this scope but with the eyepieces you have you will be restricted in low magnifications (33X & 65X). For planets ideally you should try and get the magnification up to around 150X. You could use a Barlow, with your 10mm and a 2X Barlow you would get 130X.

[Visions]

Thanks Hans, I realise it was probably a basic question, thanks for replying.
Hope the sky stays clear

[dannat]

Yes you should be able to see Saturn, not 8pm but about 430am-5 its high enough, will be the brightest star above the east sky (slightly to Nth)
With ep you have Av it wont be bi but at 65x should bveasy to see the rings

[N1]

Seen through a scope much smaller than yours.
So yes, you will.

[Allan_L]

Hi Chris,
It is generally accepted that the best time to view anything is when it is furthest from the moon (so to speak) as the moon washes out nearby objects.
And although the moon then is three days past last quarter, it will still be brightish.

Also, as Dan has indicated, the date and time you quote is absolute. At that time it will be on the other side of the Earth and not visible from Perth.

If you look at page 123 you can find that from Perth, Saturn does not even rise until 1:44am WST.

It will probably be best to wait closer to New Moon (20 Jan) to view Saturn, but again as Dan has said, it will be just before morning twilight.

Good Hunting.....it will be worth the effort

[skysurfer]

But for planetary observing, the Moon is not a nuisance at all. Despite pessimistic statements like 'Saturn cannot be seen with the naked eye near the bright Moon ....' in old yearbooks of the 1950s and '60s as the Dutch 'Sterrengids' it is not so bad at all. Even near a full Moon Saturn can be found with the naked eye. If not visible near a crescent, please see an opthamologist....

But for telescopic viewing, details remain visible even when close to the Moon. Details on Mars or Jupiter can even be seen in full daylight (but then when not close to the Sun) is my experience.

[Visions]

Allan -
Dan -

Thanks Allan and Dan. I am new to this. Am I misreading the diary on page 22? I checked again and it definitely says 8pm WST on the 16th? I guess I am confused.

[Visions]

Thanks Mirko

[Visions]

Thanks. As a shift worker I am kind of limited in times available for viewing and thought this might be a great chance to get the mozzie repellant out lol

[ralph1]

Why do you need mozzie reppelant in the morning? For me they only come out up until 11p.m. On observing planets close to the moon, during the saturn occultation last year(when the moon was full and saturn was at opposition) saturn was visible right up until the gap was too small to seperate them as you would a wide double star. Through the telescope the contrast noticably decreased as it approached the moon but that was a hazy night. For an inexperienced person, when a planet is close to the moon is probably a good time to observe it because it is easier to find.

[Visions]

Thanks Ralph



Mozzie reppelant as I thought it was 8pm! and yes I do need to observe when its easy to find things as I am certainly inexperienced.

[Allan_L]

No. You are not misreading it, you are just reading too much into it.

By that I mean that you are correct in that the EVENT (moon will be 1.9 degrees from Saturn) will happen at that precise time (West Aust time.)
But it is not saying that is the best time to see it from WA. Notice that the time in Sydney 10pm is the same time, once corrected for longitude.

In fact, at that time, it will be on the other side of the world, well below both of our horizons.

When it does finally rise (see times on page 123 for Saturn -rises 1:44WST) (and page 91 for the moon -rises 2:07am WST) it will have moved on slightly from the 1.9 degrees.

But even then, it will be too close to the horizon to view with any stability/clarity.
The time mentioned by Dan should put it high enough to view, but still be before morning twilight which may (or may not for some) make it more difficult to find.

But I agree it is confusing to put it in the month Diary of events if you can't see it then.
But that's what they do.

Hope this helps

[barx1963]

Just a small point, be careful with mozzie repellent around optics. The active ingredient can destroy coatings on optics irepairably. Never use spray repellent and be very careful with other sorts.

Malcolm

[Visions]

Yes that makes it clearer to understand.
Thanks again.

[Visions]

Thanks for the heads up on that Malcolm