Titan shadow transit on Saturn
Taken by Kirk Wines on August 3, 2025 @
Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Camera Used: ZWO ASI120MC-S
Exposure Time: 45/1000
Aperture: f/20.0
ISO: Unavailable
Date Taken: Unavailable
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Details:
Titan casting its shadow on Saturn on August 3rd, 2025 at 1:52 a.m. local Mountain Standard Time. Photographed at the Sky Bar near downtown Tucson, Arizona using the bar's 8-inch f/10 Celestron SCT on an altazimuth GoTo mount with a 2X Barlow and ZWO ASI120MC-S color planetary camera. 1000 frames were shot with an exposure of 45 msec per frame. Stacked by AutoStakkert2, wavelet enhancement by AviStack2, and extensive post-processing with RawTherapee and JTL Ultimate Paint. Titan's shadow on Saturn was visible to the eye through the scope with modest concentration on the viewer's part when seeing was stable. Best visibility was achieved with an 8mm eyepiece (250x). Seeing was good that night but worsened after this photo was taken. Compared to its visual appearance, the shadow was noticeably more visible in real-time video from the camera displayed on a laptop screen. The final stacked and processed photo shows the shadow far more prominently than it appeared visually through the scope. Following a prior transit on July 18, 2025, the Sky Bar's other astronomer, Jana B., who had been observing through a 14" SCT at a more favorable location west of the Tucson Mountains, commented that someone who was unaware that a Titan shadow transit was in progress might miss seeing the shadow visually. The three shadow transits I have seen in this series support her comment. This can be a challenging observation due to the diminutive size of the shadow, especially when seeing is less than perfect. The shadow's migration north in successive transits has been apparent over the course of the three consecutive transits I've observed.
Photographer's website:
https://www.youtube.com/@kirkwines8556
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