Saturn and Me

Having a Go
Saturn Observation

I read a blog- Bad Astronomy. And another
This week there was a recommendation. See The Rings Of Saturn!
Oh boy, this weegen, okay then! Some backyard science again!
Tonight (14 or 15 Apr 12) he said, is the best view, if you have a good telescope, of the Rings about midnight. As Earth is between the Sun and the planet.
Dutifully I waited, and as usual, oh shit, it's midnight and ran around looking for the gear. Set it up in the dark IMBY, with a laser light.
The gear is cheap. About eighty bucks at the post office a few years ago.
But I have seen the moons of Jupiter with it, and Lunar seas and Mountains and craters, so the Rings of Saturn should be a go.
It did take a while, but no rings. This Year. For Moi.
Alas.

The cheapness extended to me too- there was only one medium power eyepiece. I could not put my hands on the rest of the eyepieces of the set! Preparation....
But I think, it maybe too cheap, as there was awe-full distortions, like colour distortions, which reminds me of cheapo binoculars I have had in the past, not glass but plastic lenses.
Ah well, I did try.

Ever tried to really catch a planet in a telescope?
They are bastards!
They move!

Looking for the Rings Of Saturn

Bugger, getting the dang gear to find Saturn was hard enough, then to try to focus in? Oh, the marvined factors; Bad neck and back this week; street light into the backyard. Ended up using the garden table, garden chair and the garden umbrella and a sack of topsoil to sit on to keep track without visual distractions.

If I had me druthers- I would have picked up a better, but still cheap, reflecting 'scope at Aldi that had a motor and GPS for about three hundred bucks, but hey, that was last year.