The Planet Saturn at Opposition
July 14, 2020
(Click on Picture for larger view)

The earth was directly between the sun and Saturn on July 21, 2020 and I was able to get a few images from the 11" Celestron EdgeHD telescope using a 2x Barlow resulting in a focal ratio of f/20 (which enlarges the view). At that time, Saturn was 837,761,600 miles from earth. There are numerous moons around Saturn with 53 confirmed and named with another 29 awaiting confirmation. However, only a few can be seen in the image I took including the large moon Titan.

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System. It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only known body in space, other than Earth, where clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found. Titan is larger than the planet Mercury but a bit smaller than the largest moon in the solar system, that being Ganymede which orbits Jupiter. To capture an image of the moons, I greatly over-exposed the planet then after cutting out the over-exposed planet, I pasted the image of moons over a normal exposed view of Saturn.

That 'Techy' Stuf

... Links to certain equipment does not add any additional cost to you if you happen to purchase that item but does reflect back to me through my affiliate program with the vendo ...

Telescope: 11" Celestron Edge HD at f/20
barlow: Orion 2x 4 element
Mount: Celestron CGX
Mount setting and alignment via Celestron PWI software
Rig to Indoor Computer Connection: USB 2 196 feet Extender via cat 6 cable
System Alignment: Celestron StarSense
Camera: Altair Hypercam 294c Pro TEC
Binning: 1x1
Capture Software: SharpCap Pro
File type: AVI with 3,000 frames Stacked in AutoStakkert! v3.0.14 (x64) and Registax 6
Post processing in Photoshop CC
Focus Controller: Celestron Auto Focuser
Temperature: 82°F (27.8°C)
Date: July 21, 2020
Location: My Backyard, Savannah, GA

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