In my opinion, the most startling view to be had with a small telescope is Saturn. I mean, looking at it with the naked eye, it’s big, bright, and sparkly. Impressive enough, sure, but when you put even a moderately powered telescope on that baby, wow! Rings, I tell you, Saturn has rings! It was easy for me to see the majestic rings encircling the planet, its patterned surface swirling below.

How would like to have been Christiaan Huygens, the Dutch physicist and astronomer who discovered Saturn’s rings in 1655? What look of wonder must have crossed his face on seeing the ringed planet?

Imagine this scene:

It is night in Holland, 1655. Christiaan Huygens peers through a telescope, aimed at the brightly glowing glob of gas called Saturn. His wife, Mrs. Huygens, sticks her head out the window.

MRS. HUYGENS: Christiaan, enough already!

CHRISTIAAN: Just one more moment, dear. I’ve beefed up the power on my telescope, and wish to make a final observation of Saturn.

MRS. HUYGENS: Saturn, oh, sure, Saturn. And what about carving those new shoes for little Hilgard?

CHRISTIAAN: I told you, I’d carve them tomorrow!

MRS. HUYGENS: Spending all hours of the night, staring off at who knows what … meanwhile, Hilgard has to wear those ridiculous cloth shoes.

CHRISTIAAN: I said I’d carve a new pair tomorrow. You never stop, do you?

MRS. HUYGENS: (muttering) Guess you don’t care about your children …

CHRISTIAAN: Will you stop with that whole "don’t care about the kids" rap? You know I do. (Adjusts telescope.) Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus of Nazareth!!!

MRS. HUYGENS: What is it?

CHRISTIAAN: (Peering through scope, amazed) Look at that. Look at that. Rings.

MRS. HUYGENS: What?

CHRISTIAN: Rings. Around that star.

MRS. HUYGENS: Are you feeling all right, dear?

CHRISTIAAN: By the two "A"’s in my name, I shall never see anything more beautiful.

MRS. HUYGENS: Hey!

CHRISTIAAN: Excepting, of course, you, my love.

MRS. HUYGENS: That’s better. Now what’s the deal with those rings?

CHRISTIAAN: Oh, never mind. I’ll pop off a little note to Izzy Newton in the morning.

MRS. HUYGENS: Dear, he’s 13 years old. It’s only 1655.

CHRISTIANN: Right, right … well, the note will have to wait then, won’t it?

	Links - @LA.COM - Personal - Main - Feedback - What Up? - Archives