A Feast For The Eyes
Experiencing Saturn through a telescope for the first time is a
feast for the eyes. NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn is
helping people savor the view by coordinating a network of people
and telescopes around the globe to help others see the ringed
giant.
The Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign includes more than 380
volunteers located in 44 US states and 50 countries. During
the past year, Saturn Observation Campaign members held nearly 800
events for more than 108,000 people from all ages and walks of
life, including students, teachers and curious members of the
public.
"I hosted a free public family show at our tiny school
planetarium, and 150 enthusiastic viewers endured
standing-room-only conditions just to get a glimpse of the
program," said Bess Amaral, Saturn Observation Campaign member from
St. Mark's School of Dallas. "The frosting on the cake was
the entire group stayed for the telescope observation session of
Saturn and Comet Machholz. Even though the line was huge at the
observatory and the weather freezing, no one wanted to miss seeing
Saturn and becoming part of astronomical history."
On weekend evenings, on a crowded sidewalk in Pasadena, CA, you
can find a crowd of people gathered near a large telescope or two,
lining up for a peek. At the front of one line is Jane
Houston Jones, a devoted amateur astronomer, focusing a telescope
on Saturn. Jones is the Saturn Observation Campaign
coordinator for the Cassini-Huygens mission at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, also in Pasadena.
"People are speechless when they first see Saturn with their own
eyes. Everyone says 'wow,' and this means I hear 'wow' in many
languages here in Pasadena," said Jones. Some people
can’t believe they are seeing the real thing, and accuse me
of placing a tiny picture in the telescope. Some people
actually cry with joy. I can connect with their emotions
because Saturn was the first object I looked at through my very
first home-made telescope many years ago."
When the Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn on June 30, 2004,
the ringed planet had just disappeared from the nighttime
view. But Saturn is now back in the evening skies and looks
like a pale golden glow in the winter sky.
The best viewing this year will last through April 2005.
In May, Saturn will dip lower in the sky, and by late June it will
be lost in the glare of the setting Sun. The rings are now open
wide, and even though the tilt of the rings has been decreasing
since 2003, this year still offers a splendid view. With a
small telescope you can see many features like the rings, the big
gap between the rings and maybe even some storms or spots on the
planet.
Saturn Observation Campaign members are provided with outreach
resources, mission announcements, observation tips and techniques,
and educational material.
"We take NASA's science from space exploration and translate it
into something designed for local communities," added Alice Wessen,
manager of solar system outreach at JPL. "Our Saturn
Observation Campaign members know their backyards and NASA knows
space. Together we share this experience with the
community."
The program is much more than a sidewalk road show. "We
partner schools or classes with one of our members who will help
them plan an event," added Wessen. "First, we locate the Saturn
Observation Campaign member closest to the school. Then we provide
them with the materials on the mission. These activities are
aligned with national science education standards and can be used
in formal classroom settings."