Astronomer is star struck SATURN HAS LONG ENTHRALLED MANY

BY HUGH MUIR

From his home in a rural corner of Stafford County, far from the distracting "light trespass" of the big city (Fredericksburg), amateur astronomer Mark DeVito is pointing his telescopes at the night sky as part of 2009's International Year of Astronomy--which became a real science 400 years ago when Galileo first turned his spyglass to the heavens.

It all began in 1609, when the Tuscan scientist and a handful of others first peered upward through two glass lenses in a tube. They soon discovered--among other things--mountains and craters on the moon, four satellites circling the giant planet Jupiter, and, most spectacularly, the rings of Saturn.

"The goal of the International Year," DeVito said, "is to open up the beauty of the night sky to the public, to encourage them to look on their own."

DeVito was born in New Jersey and grew up in Lancaster, Pa.

"The first time I was exposed to astronomy was when I was 11 years old and a friend took me to nearby Marshall College, which had an observatory," he said. "The pivotal moment came when I saw Saturn. I felt this connection to something so much greater than I was."

He graduated from Millersville University in central Pennsylvania with a degree in business administration.

"I took one astronomy course, but the professor was not very good," he said.

He followed his parents to Florida and became a registered nurse. He also met his wife, Diane.

After an Army tour in Alaska and the birth of their two children--Alex, 9, and Ellie, 4--the couple moved to the Washington area. DeVito now works as a a researcher for the Justice Department.

"In St. Petersburg, and then in Alaska, I was exposed to more sophisticated astronomy," DeVito said.

He became active in education and public outreach programs.

"I love introducing other people to its wonders," he said. In St. Petersburg, he recalled, "I showed a fifth-grader Saturn through a telescope. 'Is that really up there?' the student asked in wonder. 'Or is it something you pasted on the end of the telescope?'"

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The Rappahannock Astronomy Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library headquarters on Caroline Street in Fredericksburg.

The club also tries to have monthly "star parties," gathering in an open field in the evening and sharing telescopes.

Rappahannock Astronomy Club: raclub.org. Northern Virginia Astronomy Club: novac.com Mark DeVito's astronomy blog: stargazersfield.com

Saturn: The sixth planet (of eight, not counting Pluto) from the sun, is 74,980 miles in diameter, nine times that of the Earth. It is 2.2 thousand million miles from Earth.

In 1609, Galileo Galilei, was among the first to use a telescope to study the heavens, leading to his discovery of Saturn's rings. Because of the carefully recorded observations he made--which revolutionized astronomical thought--he is called the father of modern astronomy.

His telescope produced fuzzy images, and Galileo at first mistook Saturn's rings for two moons orbiting the planet. Later, as Saturn and its rings were seen from a different angle as it revolved around the sun, he mistook the rings for what he called "handles."

Galileo persisted in his studies, and he and other astronomers eventually saw that Saturn had not only rings but also more than 60 moons (five or six major ones).

For 250 years after Galileo, astronomers continued to peer through their telescopes at Saturn. Eventually it was perceived that the ring system was made up of countless particles, ranging from dust to Dumpster-size. Now the particles are known to be made almost entirely of water ice and are so visible because they reflect light from the sun.

The first visitor to Saturn was NASA's Pioneer 11, launched in April 1973, which flew past Saturn in 1979 and sent back the first close-up pictures.

The most spectacular Saturn project so far involved Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in August and September 1977.

In October 1997, the spacecraft Cassini was launched. (It is named for an Italian-born French astronomer, Giovanni Dominico Cassini, 1625-1712, who discovered four of Saturn's moons.) It went into orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004, the first spacecraft to orbit that planet and the fourth to visit it. The spacecraft is still at work.

Date published: 2/10/2009

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