July 2004Saturn's got a new satellite! |
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In this month's issue... |
Saturn's got a new satellite!In the pre-dawn hours, on October 15, 1997, we launched the largest deep space survey vehicle ever. It weighed in at over 13,000 pounds, and began an intrepid journey to the great ringed planet, Saturn. AND NOW -- The Cassini spacecraft has finally arrived. Yesterday, NASA scientists confirmed a successful Saturn Orbital Insertion (if you want to sound like a savvy astro-scientist, just call it "S.O.I."). Cassini is in orbit around Saturn! There is more information on the start of the main phase of this exciting mission
in the Website of the Month section of the D.S. Update. So, read on!
Planetary UpdateThis is a difficult month for spotting the planets....
The Moon
The phases for this month:
Website of the MonthOn a personal note: I have been excited and anxious about the Cassini spacecraft mission for almost SEVEN YEARS now! Finally, the Cassini spacecraft has arrived...
The Cassini mission is sure to tell us much about Saturn -- the planet that has inspired astronomers and non-astronomers alike as long as there have been telescopes. Here are some quick facts about Saturn:
That is some of the stuff we know, but there's so much we don't know. Where did the rings come from and how long have they been there? Saturn is the least dense planet in the solar system -- it would actually float on water -- why is this? Saturn has a strong magnetic field. It has storms with lightning. There are auroras at the poles. All of these and so much more will be investigated further. One of the most exciting parts of the mission is the launching of the Huygens probe which will happen at the end of this year. This probe will actually land on Saturn's largest moon called Titan. Titan is a giant moon covered in a thick atmosphere which mostly consists of Nitrogen. Many scientists believe the atmosphere of Titan resembles that of the Earth right around the time that life was beginning to appear. Titan may hold the key to answering some very big questions... Be sure to keep up with all of the exciting images and discoveries the Cassini mission is sure to reveal!
Until next month.... Enjoy the skies! Please come and enjoy one of our monthly programs at the Planetarium! If you would like to receive this newsletter in your own e-mail box at the beginning of every month by simply send a note requesting subscription to "The Digital Skyline". Your e-mail address remains private and secure - we shall never provide your e-mail address to any other party. You will simply receive the Digital Skyline at the beginning of every month, and occassional reminders of some significant sky event (such as a meteor shower or eclipse). The Digital Skyline may be freely distributed. The Digital Skyline content and banner logo: ©2002-2003, Chris Fenwick, Astronomer, County College of Morris
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Mercury is currently invisible -- it is up in the sky
all day long, so it's lost in the glare of the sun.
Venus can be spotted by the early risers. It is low in
the eastern part of the sky, rising around 4:00 am. It is currently in the middle of the
constellation 
Mars, much like Mercury is currently out during the day.
Even though you can't see it yourself, feel free to keep up with the 
Jupiter is in the southwestern sky right after sunset.
It's the brightest thing in the sky at that time (besides the moon), so it's quite easy to spot. Jupiter sets around midnight.
Saturn is another daytime planet, drowned out by the sun's glare.
But, as mentioned above, Saturn has a visitor taking some pictures from close up. Be sure to keep reading the Skyline to find out more...
First Quarter: July 2
Full Moon: July 9
Last Quarter: July 17
New Moon: July 24
