Members of the Western Nevada Astronomical Society and Jack C. Davis Observatory (JCDO) Director Dr. Thomas Herring recently observed Titan, Saturn's largest moon, as it passed in front of the planet during a nighttime event at the observatory.
Using telescopes at JCDO, participants were able to see Titan—one of Saturn’s 274 moons—during its transit. Jake Cruson, a former Western Nevada College student and volunteer at the observatory, created a photo showing Titan as a black dot on Saturn’s surface from data he collected during the event.
Dr. Herring noted that weather permitting, additional opportunities to view Titan’s transit by telescope will occur on September 3-4 and September 19-20. He explained that these transits are rare events.
"This is probably the best chance to see Titan transits in North America until the 2054 series. There may be some good views in the 2040 series as well," Dr. Herring said.