On the night of May 10th, Saturn will be at its closest point to Earth for 2014 and the best it has appeared since 2007. Slooh will broadcast the event live from telescopes located off the west coast of Africa in the Canary Islands on May 10th starting at 6:30 PM PDT / 9:30 PM EDT / 01:30 UTC (5/11) – International Times: http://goo.gl/1exhvW. Viewers can watch free on Slooh.com. The live image stream of Saturn will be accompanied by discussions led by Slooh host Geoff Fox and Slooh astronomer Bob Berman. Viewers can ask questions during the show by using hashtag #Slooh.
This event will occur as the faster-moving Earth glides directly between slow-moving Saturn and the Sun. As a result, Saturn will be nearer to our planet than anytime in 2014. It will look at its biggest, show maximum detail through telescopes, and become brightest in the sky at magnitude +0.1. Slooh will use its Canary Island telescope to observe the giant ringed world, and “throw open” its doors for live viewing of this stunning planet.
Says Berman, “Saturn has not looked this good since 2007. That’s because its rings assumed their edge-on orientation for several years, making telescope observation of ring detail impossible. Now they are splayed at such a gratifying tilt, they visually form a nearly unbroken structure completely around the body of the planet. We expect to easily see its famous inky-black Cassini division, situated between the A and B ring, where the ice-chunks that make up its rings have been swept clean by tidal meddling from its moon Mimas. Nearly everyone regards Saturn as the most beautiful planet in the known universe. On May 10, Slooh will let everyone to see it for themselves — live.”
Event Overview
Where: www.slooh.com
When: Saturday, May 10th – 6:30 PM PDT / 9:30 PM EDT / 01:30 UTC (5/11)
Hashtag #Slooh