Date & Time: April 17, 2009 21:45 EDT
Location: Towson, MD
Sky: Clear, little wind
Seeing: Steady, 7/10 Transparency: Good
Equipment: 25cm Newtonian f/6 with 9.7mm Plossl
Notes: Saturn's "ears" have returned, the ring system closed up sufficiently to make it look like a knitting needle is spiked through the planet - I can barely detect space between the rings and the limb. Riding reasonably high in Leo's hind quarters the seeing is pretty good and I can definitely make out a southern equatorial belt as a subtle but distinct feature. The northern counterpart is less well defined and offers a fuzzier border with the equatorial zone which is clearly the lightest part of the orb.
Titan is the brightest moon preceding the planet by multiple radii; to the north of it is a fainter star that is probably Iapetus. Another moon (Dione?) precedes the planet as well but is much closer to the rings while a fourth moon (Rhea) hangs just north of the trailing ansa.
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