Saturn on Sergey's Astrophotography

Saturn: A Thinning Ring System

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 20:18:00 +0000

By November 2024, Saturn’s rings have thinned considerably further, with a distinct dark shadow band visible where the rings cross in front of the globe. This is one of the last captures before the site’s planetary imaging setup changed to the current Meade 8" ACF rig.

Captured as a single video and stacked in AutoStakkert!3, then processed in PixInsight.

Saturn: A Narrower Ring Tilt

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 17:27:00 +0000

By the end of 2023, Saturn’s rings have visibly narrowed compared to the wide-open views from 2022, part of the multi-year progression toward the edge-on appearance the rings will reach later in this collection. This capture is crisp and well-exposed, with good tonal balance between rings and globe.

Captured as a single video and stacked in AutoStakkert!3, then processed in PixInsight.

Saturn with Rhea, Iapetus, Tethys and Dione

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 00:28:00 +0000

This wide-field capture catches Saturn alongside four moons at once: Rhea, Iapetus, Tethys and Dione, each visible as a faint point at varying distances from the planet, illustrating the scale of Saturn’s extensive moon system.

Captured as a single video and stacked in AutoStakkert!3, then processed in PixInsight.

Saturn: The Sharpest of 2022

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 18:02:00 +0000

Closing out this run of October 2022 sessions, this capture is the sharpest of the batch: a small but crisp disk with a clean, well-resolved Cassini Division and good color throughout the ring system.

Captured as a single video and stacked in AutoStakkert!3, then processed in PixInsight.

Saturn with Titan, Rhea, Dione and Tethys

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 18:07:00 +0000

Pulling back to a wider field of view, this capture places Saturn in context alongside four of its moons scattered across the frame: bright Titan, the solar system’s second-largest moon, along with Rhea, Dione and Tethys as fainter points.

Captured as a single video and stacked in AutoStakkert!3, then processed in PixInsight.

Saturn: Rings and Globe in Fine Color

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 18:42:00 +0000

This capture shows crisp color contrast between the pale blue-grey rings and the warm cream tones of the globe, with the Cassini Division — the main gap in the ring system — faintly resolved near the ansae.

Captured as a single video and stacked in AutoStakkert!3, then processed in PixInsight.