Saturn through the telescope - A brief historical survey
Abstract
Telescopic studies of Saturn, its ring system, and its satellites from 1610 to about 1900 are surveyed. Early observations of the Saturn system and changing beliefs about the constitution of the rings are covered, showing that what an observer sees in the heavens depends not only on the quality of his instruments, but also on what he expects to see. The first observations of the Saturn system by Galileo, the development of the ring theory by Huygens, and the replacement of Herschel's and Laplace's solid ring theories by Maxwell's particle ring theory are recounted.
- Publication:
-
Saturn
- Pub Date:
- 1984
- Bibcode:
- 1984satn.book...23V
- Keywords:
-
- Planetology;
- Saturn (Planet);
- Telescopes;
- Visual Observation;
- Histories;
- Morphology;
- Saturn Rings;
- Saturn Satellites;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration