Saturn

Moon almost full (illumination 94.1%) and a clear night. With Saturn nearing opposition it was a good time to spend some time observing the ringed planet. The view was sharp. Using a 6mm eyepiece (Mag x200) the Cassini division was easily visible and I believe I could see the C ring against the dark background. The moons were visible, Titan, Rhea, Tethys and Dione. Unfortunately, I still couldn't see Enceladus. The cloud band around the South temperate area and the darker polar region were also very visible.

I also viewed the Moon. It was 11.71 days old. The best areas were around Aristarchus especially the Vallis Schroter which stood out like a bright twisting line. In the South the crater Shickard was lit nicely and Nasmyth/Phocylides gave an interesting effect of light and darkness.

As I was dismantling my setup, I saw a bright meteor travelling some 40 degrees across the sky. I would say about magnitude 1 with a yellow tail moving relatively slowly from the direction of Betelgeuse towards Gamma Canis Majoris. It must have been bright to be visible in spite of the bright moonlight.