Saturn in Color
Explanation:
Saturn
is unusual but photogenic. The second largest planet in
our
Solar System,
behind
Jupiter, has been easily identifiable
at night since history has been recorded. It was only with the
invention
of the telescope,
however, that any evidence of its majestic
ring system became
apparent.
Saturn itself is composed of mostly hydrogen and helium gas.
Saturn's rings
are composed of many ice chunks ranging in size from a penny to
car. The
above picture
of
Saturn
is one of the earliest taken by the
Hubble Space Telescope
and is a digital reconstruction of three color images. The
Cassini mission
to
Saturn
is scheduled to be launched later this year and should reach
Saturn
in 2004.
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.
