Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:
> Slime wrote:
> >>You never get to see shadows of Saturn's rings from earth because we're
> >>always looking at it face-on.  Saturn is always behind us.  Cassini
> >>approached Saturn from the side and therefore got to see the shadow.
> >
> > We'll
> >
> >>never see the shadow from earth.
> >
> >
> > Saturn is 9.54 AU away from the sun (Earth is 1), so the maximum possible
> > angle between our line of sight to Saturn and the incoming light direction
> > on Saturn is 2*asin(.5/8) = 7.2 degrees. So it should be possible to see a
> > sliver of the shadow when our orbits are in the right positions.
> >
> >  - Slime
> >  [ http://www.slimeland.com/ ]
> >
> >
> Impressive as usual.  But I do wonder if I am the only one who does not
> make an immediate intuitive connection between 9.54 and .5/8?  And
> 149,598,000,000 for that matter? :(

If you mean this (in the picture), that's pretty impressive.  A sliver of a
shadow on the right side below the ring.

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