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Saturn's Return  -  Like my other planet essays, these were taken when the subject was at its best viewing over the last few years. Knowing that I could never take a shot as clear as that of an amateur astronomer, I opted to make an 'artistic' document by photographing the planet while it approached cloud edges, the goal being, as with the Mars and Venus pics, to recreate the feeling of looking at these worlds from Earth.

So far as shooting Saturn goes, however, this was a very difficult operation with amateur/off the shelf/cheap equipment. My equipment is not strong enough to make a straight forward picture, so these pics are all the results of multiple blow ups and re-shoots. In many ways, I felt more like a 19th century photographer than a modern one, as I was almost 'extracting' the image by way of a long, almost craftsmanlike, process (oddly enough, because I'm self-taught, I've accidentally integrated both digital and traditional optical techniques into my special shoots).

As for Saturn itself, the world is the most distant planet that a human can spot with their own eyes. I recomend shooting/viewing in a rural setting, however... and if you don't want to go through the nerdy blowup sequence I went through, you should probably buy a nice digital telescope with CCD technology.

BTW, the title of this essay comes from astrology (and no, I am not saying I think astrology is scientifically valid). Basically, the 'return of Saturn' occurs when Saturn finally gets to the same point in its orbit that it was at when you were conceived/born/a baby. It basically signifies the beginning of true adulthood. Since I am about to enter such a period, I thought it was appropriate to post a photographic study of Saturn.

NOTE: If anyone is interested in beautiful, yet clear and scientific, images of Saturn I highly suggest going to the website for the Cassini mission.

James Dinnerville  

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