The current ring plane tilt of less than a degree
will tease us until late January 2009, reopen to 4.2°
in May, and finally close toward the actual ring plane
crossing in September.
The crossing takes place at an unfavorable solar
elongation (11°), so the next two months will present
the thinnest favorably observable profile. Saturn's
maximum size at minimum tilt occurs 05 January 2009
(18.7"/0.8°).
Here's a Celestia snapshot from last week.
Enjoy the show, and happy holidays.
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...aturntease.jpg
Saber Does The Stars at
http://www.astronomyblogs.com/member/saberscorpx
Now Playing: Saturn's Teasing Tilt
