38 SKYNEWS •SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
PARTING SHOT by KEN HEWITT-WHITE
SUPERSTAR RING WORLD
S
UPERSTAR OF THE NIGHT SKY.” That’s how SkyNewseditor emeritus Terence
Dickinson characterized the planet Saturn in his 1983 astronomy bestseller, Night-
Wa t c h. Engaging his memory of a long-ago backyard observing session, Dickinson
exclaimed: “No one will forget that first telescopic view of Saturn—the chilling beauty of
the small, pale orb and the delicate, encircling rings magically floating in a field of black
velvet.”
The image of Saturn on this page transforms the “small, pale orb” into a large, lustrous
world, replete with a gorgeous ring system and retinue of satellites (shown from left to
right: Dione, Enceladus, Tethys and Mimas). Taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on
June 6, 2018, the stunningly three-dimensional portrait favours Saturn’s northern hemi-
sphere, seen here tilted Earthward close to the maximum amount of 26.7 degrees. This
snapshot in time, one of many, reflects Hubble’s commitment to keeping an eye on various
members of the Sun’s family.
Currently well placed at dusk, the golden-hued prince of planets is as resplendent as
ever. Its northern half remains strongly inclined toward us, and the rings are still wide
open. Set up your scope, and let the superstar of the night sky draw you in. ✦NASA, ESA, A. SIMON (GSFC) AND THE OPAL TEAM AND J. DEPASQUALE (STScI)“