Saturn in Color

Color Photograph of Saturn
photo by Jim Detterline

This six-second exposure was made on Ektachrome 64 color transparency film using eyepiece projection (12.5 mm eyepiece) on the 3-inch Unitron refracting telescope.   Note the ring has a low inclination to the line of sight when this picture was taken, resulting in an image on which the ball of the planet is much brighter than the disk of the ring.  In this ring orientation, the separation between the ring and the planet is difficult to discern, but a close inspection of the image will reveal its presence.  Compare this image of Saturn with the previous image to note the effects of the differing ring orientations.