Wunderground.com-4/26/13, Miriam Kramer

Saturn's rings just can't catch a break.

The billions of tiny particles of rock and ice orbiting Saturn are constantly hammered by other space rock fragments. Now, thanks to a rare occurrence, scientists have seen these cosmic impacts in action.

Saturn's orbit around the sun is equivalent to about 30 Earth years. On about the 15th year of that cycle  — which happened most recently in 2009 — the lengths of Saturn's day and night were equal, which allowed the sun to cast a shadow on the planet's rings.

For more information and lots of pictures, please see Wunderground.com.

Eyes on the Sky- 4/22/13

There are few sights in the night sky that cause people to audibly gasp at the eyepiece of a telescope; craters on the Moon, Albireo, and a few others are up there on the list.  But almost without fail, the one object that tops that list?

Saturn.

With its majestic rings floating silently against a velvety black (or even slightly orange from light pollution) background, this planet evokes the wonder and awe inside many observers minds unlike other planets can.  At opposition this coming weekend, the planet will become a mainstay of evening observing from now through the end of summer.  Look for Titan, the Cassini division, and the subtle shading of the cloud tops - all covered in this video, along with observing tips on how to see this best-of-the-planets solar system object.

The Extintion Protocol-2/22/13

February 22, 2013 – SPACE - During a chance encounter with what appears to be an unusually strong blast of solar wind at Saturn, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft detected particles being accelerated to ultra-high energies. This is similar to the acceleration that takes place around distant supernovas. “Cassini has essentially given us the capability of studying the nature of a supernova shock in situ in our own solar system, bridging the gap to distant high-energy astrophysical phenomena that are usually only studied remotely,” said Adam Masters of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara, Japan.  Scientists are particularly interested in “quasi-parallel” shocks, where the magnetic field and the “forward”-facing direction of the shock are almost aligned, as may be found in supernova remnants. The new study, led by Masters describes the first detection of significant acceleration of electrons in a quasi-parallel shock at Saturn, coinciding with what may be the strongest shock ever encountered at the ringed planet.

For more information on this story click here.