These images were taken using a Celestron  C14  mounted on an Astrophysics AP900GTO mount and a QHY5III585M and the QHY5III585C  camera. RGB is done using a set of Chroma Technology RGB filters on a Starlight Xpress Motorized filter wheel.  Methane band images are done using a Chroma Methane Band filter (889nm  18nm bandpass).   Amplification is done using an Astrophysics Convertible Barlow working at 2.5X.  I use an Prima Luce ESATTO 2 focuser.

Image acquisition was done using  Torsten Edelmann's Firecapture 2.7 software.  All images are NORTH UP!    Processing was done using AutoStakkert! and Registax.

For info on Saturn's belts and zones please click this link.

You can also see my past images of Saturn at the ALPO Japan Kansai Branch site.

SATURN 2007	SATURN 2010	SATURN 2013	SATURN 2016	SATURN 2019
SATURN 2008	SATURN 2011	SATURN 2014	SATURN 2017	SATURN 2020
SATURN 2009	SATURN 2012	SATURN 2015	SATURN 2018	SATURN 2021
SATURN 2022	SATURN 2023	SATURN 2024

I did not expect to image today because it rained hard all night last night.  But somehow there was a clearing on the eastern horizon.  Seeing was still very unstable with Saturn at 24deg.

Saturn is still "ringless".  Even in methane band, no ring can be seen despite the ring being many times brighter in methane band that the surface of Saturn.  Rhea is prominent on the methane band image as a bright spot.  The south polar cap is very dark.

I took an early image of Saturn  today.   Saturn was only 14 deg above the horizon and seeing was horrible especially with the rising sun and twilight.

It is a bit weird seeing Saturn without any rings!  Because of it's current orientation, we can only see the shadow of the rings.