Saturns rings to do a vanishing act, Aug11

Whatever the view from Earth it appears that Cassini has already detected a new moonlet and may find more due to their "long" shadows across the ring systems.

This implies to me (with confusion still present) that some illumination will still take place (I infer this from second reference below).

Interesting times and Cassini being our "Correspondent From Saturn" to report on the event:)

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8194093.stm

saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsreleases/newsrelease20090807/

Mark

mjc wrote:

This implies to me (with confusion still present) that some illumination will still take place (I infer this from second reference below).
Mark

You've got a 75 thousand mile wide illuminated planet behind the rings, that is going to provide some light, the same way the astronauts shadows on the moon weren't completely black, the surround area illuminated them.
Also, the moons might be several hundred meters or several kilometers wide, wider then the rings, so they could end up been wider the width of the shadow cast by the rings, so catching some Sun.

Tried to observe this last night and tonight...
Clouds.
Bah.
Any luck anyone?

The Cassini images around equinox have been received.

This raw uncalibrated image (taken on 13th Aug) shows the contrast between bright planet and darkness of ring plane at that time.

saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawimaged...x.cfm?imageID=198568

Mark