Eyeful of Saturn
Explanation:
Now a bright speck of light
wandering through Earth's night sky,
magnificent
planet Saturn
lies nearly 1.5 billion kilometers
from
the Sun.
But after an interplanetary voyage of
seven
years the planet's
stunning rings nearly fill the field of the Cassini
spacecraft's narrow angle camera
in
this image recorded on March 27.
Tip to tip, the
ring
system spans about 270,000 kilometers.
Named for
discoverers, the large, easily visible gap in the
rings is known as the Cassini division, while the narrower
outer gap is the Encke division.
Illuminated from below and to the right, the rings cast a shadow on
Saturn's upper hemisphere, interrupted where sunlight streams through
the Cassini division and creates a light blue streak.
At the left,
Saturn also casts a stark shadow across
the planet girdling rings.
On July 1, the Cassini
spacecraft is scheduled to
fire its main engine and
enter Saturn orbit.
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.
