Credit & Copyright: E. Karkoschka (Univ. Arizona),
NASA
Explanation:
These
three
views of Saturn were
recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope on March 7th of this
year, as the southern hemisphere of the solar system's most gorgeous
planet reached its maximum 27 degree tilt
toward Earth.
The images used
to construct
the false-color pictures were made
through a combination of
filters covering the
electromagnetic spectrum from ultraviolet (top), to visible (middle)
and infrared (bottom) wavelengths highlighting different
features in the Saturnian atmospheric bands and rings.
Well known for its bright ring
system and large,
mysterious moon Titan,
gas giant
Saturn is
also a planet with a dynamic atmosphere and high-speed winds.
In fact, in the 1980s,
Voyager
spacecraft measured equatorial
winds of over 1,000 miles per hour.
Giant storm systems,
comparable in size to planet Earth itself, have been seen
erupting in Saturn's cloud tops.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day