Well, since Saturn is full, the sun is behind the spaceperson.
Another lousy book cover pasted together from elements with different lighting sources and intensities.
Or there’s a huge lode of radium under the mountains on the far side of the water. (There is a hot spring in Africa heated by the slow fusion of high grade uranium ore underground.)
Ron Miller
4 years ago
As someone who creates astronomical illustrations for a living, this really makes me cringe!
Aside from the ineptness of the cut and paste, I can only assume that the science in the book is no better than the science on the cover…which is all wrong. Titan orbits in the plane of Saturn’s rings so you would never see them tipped like that. Titan is pretty far from Saturn so it would appear to be only about ten times larger than a full moon on earth (about 5 degrees wide is all)…not the giant balloon we have here. Nothing on Saturn could appear darker than the sky. Finally, Saturn would be all but invisible through Titan’s dense cloud cover (if the author had just made Saturn a little less visible, like through a gap in the clouds, that would have been OK). And that lighting!!!
But you are talking science. Even considering the speculative nature of science fiction it is unfortunate that many books in the genre have little to do with actual science.
Also, someone forgot to cut from the original image the black area in the upper right between Saturn and the rings.
When seen through the atmosphere, only the illuminated parts of Saturn that are brighter than the sky would be visible. It’s for the same reason you cannot see the unlit part of the moon in earth’s sky https://images.app.goo.gl/M1vMP2wDZH2jfcPp8 //:0 //:0 In Photoshop, using a blending mode such a lighten on the layer with Saturn would have done the trick.
Yes, dear, I know that (as I believe you’ve mentioned it previously and I happen to have an astronomer in the house, too, who shares those tidbits with me!), but I was actually referring to how Saturn appears on the cover, where you can kinda see through it. 😮
Mr. Hitch. I’ve spent many ducats provding the requisite telescopes! 🙂 I have some big honker by my rear door that’s always in the way and there’s a perma-mounted one somewhere else (roof). And the usual regular smaller/lower-powered ones.
Well, since Saturn is full, the sun is behind the spaceperson.
Another lousy book cover pasted together from elements with different lighting sources and intensities.
Or there’s a huge lode of radium under the mountains on the far side of the water. (There is a hot spring in Africa heated by the slow fusion of high grade uranium ore underground.)
As someone who creates astronomical illustrations for a living, this really makes me cringe!
Aside from the ineptness of the cut and paste, I can only assume that the science in the book is no better than the science on the cover…which is all wrong. Titan orbits in the plane of Saturn’s rings so you would never see them tipped like that. Titan is pretty far from Saturn so it would appear to be only about ten times larger than a full moon on earth (about 5 degrees wide is all)…not the giant balloon we have here. Nothing on Saturn could appear darker than the sky. Finally, Saturn would be all but invisible through Titan’s dense cloud cover (if the author had just made Saturn a little less visible, like through a gap in the clouds, that would have been OK). And that lighting!!!
But you are talking science. Even considering the speculative nature of science fiction it is unfortunate that many books in the genre have little to do with actual science.
Also, someone forgot to cut from the original image the black area in the upper right between Saturn and the rings.
Oh, I know!
I couldn’t help but say something.
As opposed to Saturn being translucent? Uhhhhhh 🙂
When seen through the atmosphere, only the illuminated parts of Saturn that are brighter than the sky would be visible. It’s for the same reason you cannot see the unlit part of the moon in earth’s sky https://images.app.goo.gl/M1vMP2wDZH2jfcPp8 //:0 //:0 In Photoshop, using a blending mode such a lighten on the layer with Saturn would have done the trick.
Yes, dear, I know that (as I believe you’ve mentioned it previously and I happen to have an astronomer in the house, too, who shares those tidbits with me!), but I was actually referring to how Saturn appears on the cover, where you can kinda see through it. 😮
Oh.
Sorry about that! I say blushingly.
Don’t apologize, sweetie. You know I wuv you.
Who is the astronomer in the family?
Mr. Hitch. I’ve spent many ducats provding the requisite telescopes! 🙂 I have some big honker by my rear door that’s always in the way and there’s a perma-mounted one somewhere else (roof). And the usual regular smaller/lower-powered ones.
Sorry, I should have added–as his avocational ones, now that he’s retired. I made it sound like…nm. I am really tired today and not making much sense.
Well, I’m impressed!
I mean, by his interest, not your present mental state.
What, you don’t find babbling drivel exciting conversation? Sheesh.
I treasure every tiniest dribble of your drivel.
I would just like to congratulate us all on 15 comments and not a single Uranus joke.