This was officially the second time I was able to see the rings of Saturn... and this time, even some of Saturn's Moons, and it is mindblowing to me. Looking through the end of an 8" telescope, my neighbor was able to give me a vantage point I've never been able to enjoy before. From the rings of Saturn, we turned our gaze to the craters of the Moon, which is equally impressive. I felt as if I could almost see things moving about on the lunar surface.

My astro-friend and neighbor Steve tells me, "Saturn is 30 times larger than our Moon, but since it’s approximately 857 MILLION miles away and the Moon only 240 THOUSAND, it appears 100x smaller. This astrophoto illustrates this principle perfectly!"

During an October 23, 2023 conjunction, the Moon and Saturn were aligned as they rose in the southeastern sky.
This image was created with 6 captures on a Fuji XT-4 fitted to the end of a Meade LX90 8-inch telescope. The planets moved so quickly through the telescopic view, I couldn't believe my eyes!
Those shots were then composited together to make this final image.
 

Saturn and MoonDuring an October 23 conjunction, the Moon and Saturn were aligned as they trose in the southeastern sky.
This image was created with 6 captures on a Fuji XT-4 fitted to the end of a Meade LX90 8-inch telescope. The planets moved so quickly through the telescopic view, I couldn't believe my eyes!
Those shots were then composited together to make this final image.