One of many previous couple of Titan shadow transits of the 12 months takes place in a single day tonight, with a number of of Saturn’s different moons seen as nicely.
In a single day on August 18/19, Titan’s shadow transits Saturn. Additionally seen are among the planet’s moons — observe that Enceladus and Mimas could also be too faint for many telescopes to select up. Credit score: Stellarium/Oleg Pluton
- A Titan shadow transit throughout Saturn is predicted to happen in a single day, beginning at 1:26 a.m. EDT on the nineteenth (for Japanese U.S. observers).
- The shadow’s transit path will likely be from Saturn’s northeastern to northwestern limb, taking roughly 2.5 hours to traverse half the planetary disk.
- Different Saturnian moons, together with Dione, Tethys, and Rhea, may even be seen, with Tethys experiencing an occultation shortly after 3 a.m. EDT.
- This occasion marks the final Titan shadow transit the place the moon itself is simply too distant to transit concurrently; future transits will embody each moon and shadow.
The second Titan shadow transit of the month happens in a single day tonight, so set your sights on Saturn late this night. The ringed planet rises within the east round 9:30 P.M. native daylight time, gaining altitude hour by hour. Shining at magnitude 0.7, Saturn is simple to seek out because the brightest level of sunshine in southwestern Pisces. Observers within the jap half of the U.S. could have extra time earlier than the transit begins to heart the ringed world in a telescope and benefit from the pretty view of the 43”-wide ring system surrounding the 19”-wide disk of the planet.
The shadow transit begins at 1:26 a.m. EDT, early on the nineteenth for half of the U.S. (nonetheless the 18th for these within the Mountain and Pacific time zones). The shadow seems at Saturn’s northeastern limb, transferring from east to west. Notice that mid-Eighth-magnitude Titan seems fairly removed from the planet, some 9” northeast of the limb the place its shadow seems.
A number of different moons must be seen as nicely: Tenth-magnitude Dione, Tethys, and Rhea. Dione is east of Saturn, whereas Rhea is way west of the planet. Tethys can also be west, however transferring eastward because it heads for an occultation, first disappearing into the planet’s shadow simply southwest of Saturn shortly after 3 A.M. EDT on the nineteenth.
In the meantime, it takes about 2.5 hours for Titan’s shadow to journey midway throughout the disk. The shadow then lastly reaches the northwestern limb and the transit ends by 5:30 a.m. CDT on the nineteenth, after dawn within the Japanese time zone.
That is the final time Titan’s shadow will transit with its moon too removed from the planet to do the identical. Subsequent month, Titan will start transiting Saturn as nicely.
Dawn: 6:15 A.M.
Sundown: 7:52 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:50 A.M.
Moonset: 5:05 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning crescent (23%)
*Occasions for dawn, sundown, moonrise, and moonset are given in native time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. native time from the identical location.
For a glance forward at extra upcoming sky occasions, take a look at our full Sky This Week column.
