Tiny Whirlpools on the Sun

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Want to start your own podcast!? Click here to use my affiliate link, sign up, and bring your ideas to a massive audience with Free Podcast Hosting – Unlimited Episodes & Audio:Click here🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCASThttps://rss.com/podcasts/the-sky-this-week/💌 LEAVE A VOICEMAILhttps://rss.com/podcasts/the-sky-this-week/voicemailWhat can a planet’s icy rings and a distant star’s dusty belts tell us about the worlds around them?For November 7–13, 2026, join T. M. Engh for Saturn’s Icy Rings and Fomalhaut’s Dust Belts, a story-first look at two familiar lights with very different stories. We’ll explore the countless pieces of ice orbiting Saturn, the moons that help shape its rings, and the enormous debris belts surrounding Fomalhaut, a star about 25 light-years away.Along the way, NASA’s Cassini, James Webb and Hubble observations help us follow the evidence. Why might a gap suggest an unseen planet without proving one exists? How can something once considered a possible planet turn out to be better explained by a cloud of collision debris? And what can your own eyes and camera actually show?You’ll also hear observing guidance for both hemispheres, how the week’s new Moon and your local horizon affect your plans, and beginner-friendly photography advice in Through the Lens. Saturn and Fomalhaut are separate targets, so there’s no need to squeeze them into one photograph.Your assignment this week: photograph one target that is visible from your location, or sketch its position if your camera isn’t cooperating. Record the date, local time and direction. Then write a two-part caption: what you actually observed, followed by one finding from a reliable scientific source.Sources and further reading:NASA Cassini: Saturn’s Ringshttps://science.nasa.gov/mission/cassini/science/rings/NASA Webb: Fomalhaut’s Dust Beltshttps://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/webb-looks-for-fomalhauts-asteroid-belt-and-finds-much-more/NASA Hubble: Fomalhaut Collision-Debris Researchhttps://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-sees-asteroids-colliding-at-nearby-star-for-first-time/U.S. Naval Observatory: 2026 Moon Phaseshttps://aa.usno.navy.mil/calculated/moon/phases?year=2026Observing dates: November 7–13, 2026. Visibility depends on geographic location, local time, moonlight, horizons, light pollution, weather and equipment. A wide-field photograph will show Saturn and Fomalhaut as points of light, not resolve their rings or dust belts. Webb’s displayed infrared colors represent scientific measurements. The changing sources discussed around Fomalhaut are interpreted as possible collision debris, not confirmed planets or a directly filmed collision.The Sky This Week and Under the Same Sky are T. M. Engh Photography audio productions.