Now is a great time to see Saturn in all its glory

When I was a teenager, I joined an urban astronomy club at my school. It wasn’t popular: Most nights it was just me and a physics professor standing on a Chicago street corner, urging passersby to look through our telescope. Looking back, it’s a wonder my parents were okay with it, but it was one of the first things that really fueled my love for space.

One night, another teacher joined us. He brought with him an old-fashioned refracting telescope, the long type. It seemed much more…