Sunlight Through Saturn's Rings
Explanation:
Normally, Earth based astronomers view
Saturn's spectacular ring system
fully illuminated by reflected sunlight.
However, this November 1995
Hubble Space Telescope composite image
was made to take advantage of an unusual perspective,
with the Sun actually illuminating the rings from below.
The three bright ring features are visible because the rings
themselves are not solid. Composed of many separate chunks of
rocky, icy material, the rings
allow the scattered sunlight to pass through them -- offering
a dramatic demonstration that they are
not continuous,
uninterrupted bands of material.
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.
