Saturn
Probably the most interesting planet to look at through any reasonable telescope is the planet Saturn. I recall my first views through a 40mm refractor as a young man. Even at the awesome power of 50X, the rings were spectacular. The first time anyone sees Saturn through a telescope, they can not help to be awestruck. Saturn takes many years to complete one orbit. No wonder he is considered father time. It usually takes a major part of one lifetime just to see it complete one orbit. When I first recognized Saturn back in the early 1970s it was in the constellation of Taurus. Saturn has since passed through the entire Zodiac and then some. I have seen the rings edge-on three times in my astronomical life. This mosaic of images I have taken over the past few years with my webcam shows how the rings shift each year.
While Saturn's rings are what catches people's eyes, there are other events that show up from time to time. In 1994, a storm erupted on Saturn producing a display that was imaged by the HST. It happened again in 2010-2011. I took this image on January 6, 2011. Is it possible the next appearance will be in the mid 2020s?
