Last night, we went to the University
of Virginia's
McCormick Observatory and got to look through the
giant telescope. It was a cloudy night and so we didn't get to
see very much but we did get to see
Saturn! It was very cool!!
It looked almost exactly like the video below. It looked so
perfect that it almost seemed fake. So awesome!!!
When Thomas Jefferson designed the University of Virginia, he
intended it to include an observatory and a center for astronomical
study. While Jefferson did not see those plans come to fruition
during his lifetime, in 1877 Leander J. McCormick donated a 26-inch
telescope to the University, and an observatory, which now bears the
name of its benefactor, was built to house it on Mount Jefferson.
The 26-inch
astrometric refractor was the second largest telescope in the
world when it was dedicated on April 13, 1885 (Thomas
Jefferson's Birthday).
Cool Facts about Saturn:
Saturn
was discovered in the early 1600s by the astronomer
Galileo.
Saturn
was named after the Roman god of agriculture.
Saturn
has at least 31 moons. These include Titan,
Hyperion, Mimas, Enceladus, Rhea, and Phoebe.
Saturn's rings are made of billions of ice
particles.
Saturn
rotates faster than any other planet except Jupiter.
Saturn
spins around once in only 10 hours 39 minutes,
compared to about 24 hours, or one day, for Earth.
The rapid rotation of Saturn causes the planet to
bulge at its equator and flatten at its poles.
