Saturn w/ Dione & Titan (and shadow)

Wed Aug 20 2025

I set up the night before last to do some deep sky imaging and that all went well. Yesterday morning, I went out to break everything down and bring my gear inside when I thought that I had just enough time to set up the C11 to take a quick peek at Saturn and my first view of the Orion Nebula of the season. My wife came out and noticed the shadow which reminded me about the Titan shadow transit. I had about 10 minutes before the event was over so I rushed to get my camera and get everything ready and had just enough time to grab a 4 minute video and here’s the result after stacking and processing.

About this object

Type

Gas Giant Planet

Saturn is the second-largest planet and the jewel of the solar system, famous for its bright ring system of ice and rock. The rings, along with cloud banding and the moon Titan, make it one of the most rewarding targets for planetary imaging.

Equipment

• Telescope / Lens: Celestron C11
• Camera: ZWO ASI224MC
• Mount: Celestron CGEM II
• Filters: SVBony UV/IR Cut 1.25"
• Software: Chris Garry Planetary Imaging PreProcessor (PIPP), Cor Berrevoets et al. Registax, Emil Kraaikamp AutoStakkert!

Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.