Teenager Captures Incredibly Clear Picture Of Saturn And Its Iconic Rings From His Backyard

 

A 15-year-old boy has managed to capture a picture of Saturn using a telescope in his back garden that many experienced astronomers would be proud of. 

Marcus Reed, from Seaford, East Sussex, managed to capture the clear image of the gas giant, complete with its dramatic rings, using a 102mm diameter reflector telescope.

The student said that he remained up until 4 a.m., using an iPhone app called Sky Guide to locate the planet in the sky.The picture of Saturn taken by the 15-year-old schoolboy clearly shows Saturn’s rings, something which can only be seen with a telescope with a diametre of at least 15mm. The rings were first spotted by Galileo in 1610, but were only identified as rings in 1655 by Christiaan Huygens.

A 15-year-old schoolboy has managed to capture a picture of Saturn that many astronomers would be proud of using a telescope in his back garden. The rings that surround the second largest planet in the solar system can be clearly seen in the picture taken by Marcus Reed (pictured)

Marcus, a keen amateur astronomer, explained: “I took the picture around four o’clock in the morning. ‘I had turned on the app and saw that Saturn was visible, so straight away I put my slippers on and ran downstairs, setting up my telescope on the back lawn in my pajamas. ‘I was pleasantly surprised when I looked back and saw I had such a clear picture – Saturn is my favorite planet. ‘The amount of positive feedback I received surprised me massively.”

Marcus Reed, (pictured left), took the picture of Saturn from his back garden using a basic amateur 102mm diamete reflector telescope (pictured right)

He added that he hoped to one day follow in the footsteps of British astronaut Tim Peake.

“I’m in the air cadets – when I’m older I’d like to join the RAF then become a commercial pilot, but after that I aspire to join the European Space Agency as an astronaut”, he explained.

Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest in the solar system, has been viewed by astronomers in the night’s sky since ancient times.