Saturn Eclipse 2007

Over 5 years after the Saturn Eclipse on 03. November 2001 now again such an event should be able to be observed from Central Europe at the night on 01. to 02 March 2007.

In this time the technological observation possibilities have further developed, so I took this astronomical event at the day before the total lunar eclipse on 03./04. March 2007 as "introduction" to transmit the event live on the internet with a WebCam attached to the telescope.

After sunset over the Rhine Main area a highly transparent sky, a good remote sight and some strong shower clouds showed up over the neighbouring mountais. I could already see moon and Saturn in the office in Wiesbaden. On the travel home toward the east they beamed from the cool blue sky over the A3.

Arrived at home in Dreieich I captured this marvelous blue of the sky by means of some digital photos and then prepared everything for the planned live transmission in the second half of the night. After short sleep around 3:00 I was again in the attic, in order to observe the Saturn eclipse and start the live transmission.

19:11 Moon and Saturn in the constellation Leo (the lion) Moon and Saturn in the constellation Leo (the lion) on 01.03.2007 19:11 MEZ, approx. 8 1/2 hours before the occultation of Saturn by the moon, 8 seconds exposed with a Jenoptik JD5.0z3 Easy Shot digital camera. Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain.

Still best conditions! Still some notes for potential spectators posted at different Internet forums and then the setup the instruments. I dedicate first myself to the classical photography on negative film and take moon and Saturn with different exposure times around 3:23. Flat but quite wide fields of clouds approached moon and Saturn so far that now the clouds do not permit an unimpaired photography any longer, but I have already done the desired exposure times.

03:23 CET - Moon and Saturn Moon and Saturn around 03:23 CET, taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS500N and Canon 2x tele converter focally behind a Revue refractor (D=60mm, f=910mm), approx. 1/2 second exposed on Fuji400 negative film.

Now I dedicate myself to the live transmission, can however at no time still recognize Saturn on the screen before the occultation. Is the exposure time of the WebCam set too short? Because of in the meantime again and again moving through clouds I must leave the exposure time set to automatic. No Saturn!

Clouds, a whole long while long: Persistent the moon is behind a wide flat field of clouds, now and then comes through, but still nothing to see of Saturn. It is like bewitched, approx. 6 degrees to the left of and below the moon there is clear sky, it are probably only few hundred meters, which separate me from places, where the moon now can be seen clearly. I pursue the moon, which now and then appears on the screen of my laptop attached to the WebCam.

03:55 CET cloud situation during the Saturn eclipse Cloud situation in direction west southwest during the Saturn eclipse on 02. March 2007 in Dreieich-Götzenhain at 03:55 CET.

There it does come out again out of the cloud filed and I don’t find a Saturn. It is covered by the moon. I missed the saturnset over the lunar surface! Now I drive with the WebCam over the moon and position then at the place, where I expect the saturnrise.

Again disturbing clouds, but a blurred knob at the lunar limb comes out there! Since the exposure of the WebCam is set to automatic, I adjust the view, so that the lit moon surface increases and the exposure time goes down.

Now the Saturn has rosen already completely and floats like standing on the ring on the lunar surface, departs rapidly. I have 4 registered users, who are my spectators. The moon moves out of the field of view, Saturn is again overexposed, and again clouds move in. I still make it to take a few photos through the SkyWatcher 70/700 with the digital camera (photographed through the eyepiece), before the moon and Saturn have disappeared completely in a new compact cloud field. Unfortunately enough time for an optimal positioning did not remain, so that on only one of these pictures Saturn is recognizable blurredly.

04:12 CET	04:12 CET
04:14 CET	04:15 CET
Saturn rise over the lunar surface Images of my live transmission at www.astronation.de

Now the compact cloud field prevails over moon and Saturn, which gives hardly prospects that much would be seen. And so it is. The egress of Saturn behind the moon disk I could well pursue on the screen, and take a few photos. It was exciting and I am glad to have seen something of the egress, although it was strongly reduced by the clouds.

Anyhow the transmission technique has passed after various tests and improvements in the transmission software this practice test. Now the event of the total lunar eclipse comes up the night after the next night, which was the actual cause to develop the transmission system.

Stephan Heinsius, Dreieich, first writing on 02. March 2007, revision on 05. March 2007, picture of moon and Saturn added on 06. March 2007.
 

Design and contents: Stephan Heinsius, D-63303 Dreieich, ©SH 2007 - all rights reserved