FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

          ***************************************************
          * A Workshop on Observations of the Saturn System *
          *       from the 1995-6 Ring Plane Crossings      *
          *                                                 *
          *                July 25 & 26, 1997               *
          *                Wellesley College                *
          *             Wellesley, Massachusetts            *
          ***************************************************

INTRODUCTION

The edge-on presentation of Saturn's rings during 1995 and early 1996
provided an opportunity to study aspects of the Saturn system rarely
observable from Earth.  New results have been reported on the orbits and
photometry of the smallest moons, thickness of the inner ring system and
the nature of its atmosphere, structure of the tenuous outer E and G
Rings, and determination of the rate of precession of Saturn's pole.
One of the biggest puzzles is the apparent shift of Prometheus in its
orbit by 19 degrees.  In addition, numerous observers have reported the
discovery of new moons and/or ring clumps.  The recent events probably
provided our last chance to study many of these aspects of the Saturn
system prior to the arrival by the Cassini orbiter in 2004.

In spite of the results already reported, many important questions
remain unanswered and many data sets have not yet received thorough
scrutiny.  Furthermore, some important results will require combined
analysis of multiple data sets: e.g., new solutions for satellite
orbits, extended time coverage of clumps, and extended wavelength
coverage of rings.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

This informal workshop will provide an opportunity for scientists
involved in acquiring and interpreting the data to compare and discuss
their results and perhaps to initiate further collaborations.

The meeting is timed to precede the 1997 Division for Planetary Studies
meeting, to be held at MIT beginning Monday, July 28.  Wellesley College
is located in a pleasant suburban area a short distance from Cambridge
and downtown Boston.

The workshop will be structured around a series of ~30 minute contributed
presentations, with plenty of discussion time interspersed.  The
deadline for titles and brief abstracts of presentations will coincide
with the DPS abstract deadline, June 4.  Contributors are free to submit
DPS abstracts on the same material they present at this workshop.  No
proceedings will be published.

The Wellesley observatory is equipped with excellent audio-visual
facilities and Internet access.  We hope to make it possible for
participants to download and display their data in something approaching
real time.

No registration fee will be required.

REPRESENTATIVE TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Main Rings:    thickness, asymmetries, pole precession, atmosphere.
F Ring:        structure, clump/moon interpretations.
E and G Rings: structure, photometry, dynamical models.
Small moons:   astrometry, photometry, orbits, Prometheus explanations.

In light of the March 4-8 meeting in Catania, Italy on Jovian and
Saturnian satellite mutual events, studies of the classical Saturnian
satellites will not be emphasized at the Wellesley workshop; instead, we 
will focus on the rings and smaller, inner satellites.  However, please
note that Robert Jacobson of JPL (raj@murphy.jpl.nasa.gov) is seeking
out astrometric observations of any satellites for his next update to
the Saturn ephemeris. 

ORGANIZERS

Mark Showalter (showalter@ringside.arc.nasa.gov)
Phil Nicholson (nicholson@astrosun.tn.cornell.edu)
Dick French (local organizer, rfrench@ahab.wellesley.edu)

Consult http://ringside.arc.nasa.gov/www/rpx/wellesley/workshop.html for
the most up-to-date information.