**saturn**

**MyGSXF:Me** · 25th March 2007, 12:59

Took my boys into the observatory last night.. they were having an open night.. so thought, yeah, xlnt.. gotta go check it out!!

There were several telescopes of varying sizes set out on the lawn outside, each looking at different objects.

One was looking at the moon, & man was it awesome!!! To see it so close up like that really was amazing.. my little one (4 1/2) was sooo fascinated seeing it, his reaction was just gorgeous! Another was tracking a satelite. Another one a cluster of stars. Another one looked at Saturn, but only looked like a star.

The highlight however, was going into the big dome & looking through the biggest telescope.. at Saturn!!!! It was still very small, but we could see it quite clearly, & the rings around it were very obvious!

A few facts.. Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun. It has at least 18 moons.. the largest is Titan. The rings are made from frozen water & rocks.

This weekend Saturn is about 1,275,000,000 kms away from Earth. Without breaking the speed limit, 100kms.. a car would take nearly 1500 YEARS to get there!!!

Even with the speed of light, Saturn is more than an hour away!! So what we saw, is actually what Saturn looked like.. an HOUR AGO!!!

If ya ever get the chance to check out your local Observatory.. DO IT!!! it's bloody brilliant!!!! & my little one sure is going to have some great news to share at Kindy on Monday!!

sorry no pics this time..

no flashes allowed..

**smokeyging** · 25th March 2007, 13:16

Oddly enough i was at a friends place last night too and with the clear sky we did the same thing. i'm not talking small telescopes here, he has his own observatory plus another 2 scopes. i personally have a 5 inch reflector which is peanuts compared to what my cobbers got. and we did look at saturn and its rings, plus the moons. what amazes me about the stars is with the naked eye you can see a few stars, with the binoculars, a few more in behind the ones with the naked eye, then with a telescope…bloody stars everywhere.

**Nitzer** · 25th March 2007, 13:29

There's rings around Uranus too..........

**Donor** · 25th March 2007, 13:39

Originally Posted by Nitzer

There's rings around Uranus too..........

Watch out, those rings harbour cling-ons...

**Nitzer** · 25th March 2007, 13:46

Originally Posted by Donor

Watch out, those rings harbour cling-ons...

I think we've just about killed this thread with the schoolboy humour.

The night sky is pretty cool though, I was chuffed when I managed to spot a satellite I was tracking via the stardome website.

**MyGSXF:Me** · 25th March 2007, 16:12

Originally Posted by Nitzer

There's rings around Uranus too..........

Originally Posted by Donor

Watch out, those rings harbour cling-ons...

Originally Posted by Nitzer

I think we've just about killed this thread with the schoolboy humour.

ya think...

go to PD if ya wanna dribble shyte Noddy!!

This thread was to tell people about something super cool my kids & I got to do.. that was a great learning experience for them!!

**sunhuntin** · 25th March 2007, 16:20

kool! id love to go to the observatory here. the night sky is amazing.

any idea WHY saturn has rings? how do the rocks and ice stay where they are? why doesnt earth, or any other planet, have rings?

hopefully something your boys will remember for years to come. literally opens up a world of opportunity. would be neat to get a pack of glow n the dark stars and planets for their rooms... their own solor systems.

**hXc** · 25th March 2007, 16:45

Originally Posted by sunhuntin

why doesnt earth, or any other planet, have rings?

Now, I know I'm no astronomer, but...I thought Uranus has rings too.

No pisstake in this post either.

**MyGSXF:Me** · 25th March 2007, 16:52

Originally Posted by hXc

Now, I know I'm no astronomer, but...I thought Uranus has rings too

Saturn, Uranus & Neptune all have the rings around them.

Uranus shines green in the night sky, the rings are black & it has 15 moons.

Neptune shines blue in the night sky, the rings are not as bright as Saturns, & it has 8 moons, only 2 of which can be seen on Earth.

**BuFfY** · 25th March 2007, 16:52

Pyro and I went there on one of our first dates. I love the shows they put on!
I also went to the one in Wellington a few times and with school. Such an amazing thing for kids to learn, and it is even better when you get to go outside and look through the telescope! When pyro and I went there were quite a few planets out

I think one of them was Venus.

I think the reason for rings is the material is being drawn to the planet through gravity but gets caught in a swirl and collects more matter. It isn't a solid ring (is made of rocks etc) but for us it looks as though it is.

I love the night sky, when it is a clear night I normally ask pyro to take me on the bike up one of the mountains so I can have a good lil look

**BuFfY** · 25th March 2007, 16:56

Show your kids this website, put out by the Ministry of Education as an online encyclopedia on science concepts, looks quite good

http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/Astronomy/en

**Grub** · 25th March 2007, 17:07

If you enjoyed that then I can highly recommend anyone similarly inclined to do the visit to Stonehenge Aotearoa http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stonehenge/

It is near Carterton which is a great ride from Welliy (or anywhere else) because of the great roads and wide open expanses of the Wairarapa.

If you intend to go, it pays to book, especially for the midday show/tour. The whole site is about astonomy, time, seasons and geometry as it affects the way we live and the way our environment is constructed.

Nasty & I were just passing and dropped in luckily found a place in the midday show (which begins with a briefing at 11 or 1130) ... the whole experience was incredible. The midday show is important as it is then that the sun casts it's shadow on the "analemma" which is a stone tiled area due south of the obelisk. The obelisks shadow shows he seasons and the shift of the heavens at this time. I believe the experience is mightily heightened by this.

One of the finest and most interesting things we've done (comparing to Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Aust, Fiji) ... and it is right here in our backyard.

Brett n Kari

**yungatart** · 25th March 2007, 17:09

The night sky is really amazing!
I never tire of gazing at the stars.
One of my boys, when little, used to insist on going outside at night to say goodnight to the moon and the stars. Didn't matter how cold it was, it was part of his bedtime routine and it HAD to be done...or we paid the consequences!

**MyGSXF:Me** · 25th March 2007, 17:22

Originally Posted by BuFfY

Show your kids this website, put out by the Ministry of Education as an online encyclopedia on science concepts, looks quite good

That's a cool site Buffy!! cheers!

Originally Posted by Grub

If you enjoyed that then I can highly recommend anyone similarly inclined to do the visit to Stonehenge Aotearoa

Can't seem to access that webpage you put up Grub

but that Stonehenge place sounds awesome!!!!!! definately on a list of things to do!!

Originally Posted by yungatart

One of my boys, when little, used to insist on going outside at night to say goodnight to the moon and the stars.

lols.. that's so cute!!! We have a couple of 'special stars'.. for Great Nana & Grandad, & Uncle!

**hXc** · 25th March 2007, 17:25

Originally Posted by yungatart

One of my boys, when little, used to insist on going outside at night to say goodnight to the moon and the stars. Didn't matter how cold it was, it was part of his bedtime routine and it HAD to be done...or we paid the consequences!

Fuck, I'm awesome!