BandungBergerak.id – Researchers from the Bosscha Observatory observed two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, from different places. Observations were carried out in Lembang, West Bandung Regency, and Nusa Cendana University in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
However, due to weather factors which caused the Lembang sky to be covered by thick clouds, observations were focused from Kupang using a telescope with a diameter of 20 centimeters with a focal length of 2 meters.
At the time of observation, the positions of the planets Saturn and Jupiter were experiencing an opposition phase so they could be clearly seen from Earth.
This observation event took place on the “Virtual Observation of the Night Sky (PVLM)” agenda, Saturday, October 14 2023. Guided by two Bosscha Observatory researchers, Muhammad Yusuf and Dhimaz G. Ramadhan, this PVLM was held with the theme “Exploring the Two Giants: Peeking at the Beauty of Jupiter and Saturn”.
Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in the solar system that are composed of gas. The gaseous material that makes up the planet causes the planet’s surface to always fluctuate, giving rise to bright dark patterns on the surface. One point with another point on the surface of the same planet may have a different speed, angle and direction of rotation.
After explaining the similarities between the two planets, Yusuf and Dhimaz provided an understanding of the planet Saturn which was observed that night. Saturn is a gas giant planet whose diameter is equivalent to 9 times the diameter of the earth, with a volume 760 times the volume of the earth, and a mass 95 times the mass of the earth.
However, with its size, Saturn only takes 10.5 hours to rotate. Very fast rotation causes Saturn’s structure to be more compact at the Equator so that its shape is not a perfect ball.
Saturn has a ring structure that is most clearly visible from Earth among the other gas planets because its material is composed of ice which can reflect sunlight. Saturn’s rings also have light-dark patterns caused by differences in ice density. In fact, Saturn’s rings have a very wide expanse with a thickness of only 10 m.
“For example, if we reduce the planet Saturn to the size of 1 meter, we also reduce the rings to the same reduction scale, the thickness of the rings will be thinner than a razor blade,” said Dhimaz, quoted from ITB siteWednesday, November 8 2023.
According to the latest data, Saturn has 146 satellites with the largest satellite called Titan. Yusuf and Dhimaz describe Titan as a satellite with a fairly thick atmosphere and containing rivers and lakes of liquid methane. On the surface there are rocks and volcanic activity that throws icy lava.
Then the observations were shifted to Jupiter, a giant gas planet with a diameter 11 times the diameter of the Earth and a volume 1,300 times the volume of the Earth. Jupiter has a faster rotation time than Saturn, which is only around 8.5 hours. The bright dark features typical of gas planets are most clearly visible on Jupiter. In this light-dark border area there is friction which very often causes turbulence and storms on the surface of Jupiter.
The most famous storm that has been visible since humans first pointed telescopes at Jupiter is The Great Red Spot. It is called that because this storm looks like a large red dot on the surface of Jupiter when seen from Earth.
Saturn also experiences the aurora phenomenon as a result of the interaction of charged particles from the sun (solar wind) with Jupiter’s magnetic field. In contrast to Earth’s magnetic field which originates from the Earth’s core, Jupiter’s magnetic field originates from the interaction of the electrons of the hydrogen gas that makes it up.
Similar to Saturn, Jupiter also has rings that can only be seen with infrared detectors because the material that makes them up is not ice and the structure is not too massive. Apart from that, Jupiter also emits its own energy which is greater than the energy it receives from the sun. This often gives rise to the misconception that Jupiter is a failed star.
“Fusion reactions can at least occur if the mass of an object is approximately 1/12 the mass of the sun. “Meanwhile, Jupiter’s mass is 1/1000 the mass of the sun, meaning it is still too far away to become a star,” said Yusuf.
Jupiter’s satellites were first observed by Galileo 400 years ago. He observed small dots around Jupiter which turned out to be moving around the planet. From these observations, Galileo concluded that the earth orbited something larger than it, just as the satellites he observed orbited Jupiter, so the heliocentric theory was born.
The four satellites observed by Galileo became known as the Galilean Moons, which are the four largest satellites of Jupiter, namely Ganymede, Europa, Io and Callisto.
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Observation and research activities on celestial objects have been carried out by the Bosscha Observatory since it was founded in 1923. Observations with Bosscha researchers have become a tradition.
For example, on July 13 2019, the Bosscha Observatory invited the public to observe celestial bodies with researchers at Bosscha.
The enthusiasm of the invited guests who attended the observation was visible as the sun went down. Two portable telescopes and one Bamberg telescope were prepared to observe the moon and the planet Jupiter. Since 18.00 WIB, there has been a long queue at each telescope that has been prepared.
“It felt nostalgic and also proud to be there and see how astronomers use their telescopes and buildings, we could see the moon from several telescopes spread out,” said Ardhana Riswarie, one of the open house visitors.
The weather during the observation was quite bright but cloudy, so several times people had to wait for the moon to be seen clearly. On Saturday, July 13 evening, the shape of the moon did not appear completely round.
A new lunar eclipse occurred a few days later. However, people can still see the moon clearly. In fact, when using the Bamberg telescope, the surface of the lunar crater can be seen very clearly.
Through a portable telescope, the planet Jupiter can be seen as a white point of light with three satellites circling it. Because they were still curious, some visitors saw it repeatedly and queued again.
Another interesting activity, in the courtyard of the Zeiss Telescope Dome Building, was an Educational Games Corner. This corner is dedicated to children’s and family activities. They are taught about astronomy through storytelling, hands-on activities, and games about snakes and ladders and puzzles.
According to the Head of the Bosscha Observatory, Premana W. Premadi, this event is a series of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of man’s landing on the moon as well as to introduce the world of astronomy to the public. Bosscha Observatory is the only large observatory in Indonesia. Under the auspices of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) ITB, this research institution is a center for research, education and development of astronomy in Indonesia.
Currently Bosscha has several telescopes which are used for research and education, for example the GAO-ITB telescope, Stevia telescope, Solar telescope, Bamberg telescope and the Zeiss telescope which is Bosscha’s icon. Several small telescopes are used for touring activities or public visits such as those carried out at the Bosscha Open House event this time.
*Good friends, you can read further articles about the Bosscha Observatory
2023-11-13 01:27:04
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