TITAN TRANSIT

Saturn's rings are nearly edge-on to Earth and this is giving astronomers a chance to see unaccustomed things. One of them--a transit of Titan.

Titan passes in front of Saturn fairly often, but the transits are usually hidden from view by Saturn's broad rings. Only when the rings are edge-on does the giant moon's silhouette reveal itself to backyard telescopes.

There will be two more transits visible this year: Feb 24th and March 12th. The one on Feb 24th is special as it will be a quadruple transit of Titan, Mimas, Dione and Enceladus. At around 14:25UT on that day, all four moons will be within Saturn's disk.

Feb 24th is special for another reason: Comet Lulin makes its closest approach to Earth on that date, coincidentally just a few degrees away from Saturn. In one quick sweep of a backyard telescope, you'll be able to see Titan, Saturn's edge-on rings, and a green comet with an active tail.




- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill