Exploring Saturn, jewel of the solar system, topic of Oct. 24 ‘Window to the Universe’

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The planet Saturn. Image courtesy of NASA.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Saturday, Oct. 24, Friends of Taylor Observatory will meet, via Zoom, for a Windows to the Universe Lecture series presentation by Eduardo Alatorre on the planet Saturn.

The program starts at 8 p.m.

The lecture will be followed by live telescopic views from a 12-inch Dobsonian telescope.

Alatorre notes, “In the early 1980s the twin Voyager probes sent back the first clear images of Saturn. These two probes gave a tantalizing nibble at the beauty and wonder of Saturn as they quickly flew by while heading deeper into space. But the Voyager fly-by of Saturn set the stage for a much more ambitious mission. In 1997 the Cassin/Huygens probe set out on a journey to explore Saturn. This probe had the task to orbit Saturn and release a lander on Saturn’s largest moon Titan. The data that Cassini sent back revealed a more dynamic Saturn and its rings. It revealed the surface of Titan, the icy plumes of Enceladus, and many more interesting worlds orbiting Saturn. Cassini ended its mission in 2017 when it plunged into Saturn. The probe kept sending data until it burnt up in Saturn’s atmosphere.”

To reserve a place for Saturday night’s Taylor program send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You’ll receive a link to the online broadcast shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Questions can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. phoned in to the Observatory information number, 707 262-4121.

The program can accommodate up to 75 attendees, with twenty positions reserved for members of the Astronomy Club that has been organized by Observatory Assistant Angelo Parisi, who’s offering a weekly online learning session for Lake County elementary students. For details about the Astronomy Club, visit https://www.lakecoe.org/Page/2484.

Eduardo Alatorre is a well-qualified solar system expert, and his interest in the solar system dates to his childhood.

While at Kelseyville High School he served in Barbara McIntyre’s high school cooperative program. There, his interest broadened to embrace the student robotics programs. His enthusiasm for teaching science to Lake County’s students is legendary.

Alatorre joined the Friends of Taylor Observatory Board in 2013. At the Lake County Office of Education, he’s currently a Taylor Observatory docent, working with Angelo Parisi and Elisa Prather.

He has presented multiple lectures in Friends of Taylor Observatory’s Window to the Universe series and has spoken both locally and regionally, including invited talks at the Ukiah Latitude Observatory and the Sonoma County Astronomical Society.

Alatorre attends Mendocino College where he is majoring in mathematics.

Dr. Bill Haddon is president of the Friends of Taylor Observatory-Norton Planetarium.