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| Nasa's Cassini spacecraft has provided detailed close up images of Saturn's rings, revealing them to be huge disks of rock and ice that surround the planet in a flat disk (pictured) |
A 15-year-old boy, from Seaford, East Sussex, has succeeded in capturing an awesome picture of Saturn using a telescope in his back garden that several experienced astronomers would be proud of. Marcus Reed managed to take this clear image of the gas giant, including its entire rings, using a 102mm diameter reflector telescope.
According to Marcus Reed, he stayed up until 4am, using an iPhone app called Sky Guide to locate the gas giant planet in the sky.
He said: “I took the picture
at about four in the morning. I had turned on the app and saw that Saturn was
visible, so straight away I put my slippers on and ran downstairs, setting up
my telescope on the back lawn in my pyjamas. I was pleasantly surprised when I
looked back and saw I had such a clear picture - Saturn is my favourite planet.
'I have been interested in astronomy and photography for a long time, and I
really enjoy it - I use my telescope every night when it's clear.”
Saturn has been observed by
astronomers in the night's sky since ancient times.
Tom Kerss, an astronomer at
the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, said: “Marcus has done a fantastic job at
capturing the view of Saturn we might see with our eyes using a good beginner’s
telescope.
He said: “I took the picture
at about four in the morning. I had turned on the app and saw that Saturn was
visible, so straight away I put my slippers on and ran downstairs, setting up
my telescope on the back lawn in my pyjamas. I was pleasantly surprised when I
looked back and saw I had such a clear picture - Saturn is my favourite planet.
'I have been interested in astronomy and photography for a long time, and I
really enjoy it - I use my telescope every night when it's clear.”
The Gas Giant Saturn, is the
sixth planet from the sun and also the second largest in the solar system.
Saturn has been observed by astronomers in the night's sky since ancient times.
Tom Kerss, an astronomer at
the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, said: “Marcus has done a fantastic job at
capturing the view of Saturn we might see with our eyes using a good beginner’s
telescope.