Moons and Rings Before Saturn
Explanation:
While cruising around Saturn,
be on the lookout for picturesque juxtapositions of moons and rings.
Another striking alignment occurred last March in the
view of humanity's
Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft.
Rhea, one of Saturn's larger moons,
was caught passing
Epimetheus, one of Saturn's smaller moons.
Epimetheus, as
pictured above, is actually well behind the heavily cratered Rhea.
Further back, several of the
complex rings of Saturn can be seen crossing the image horizontally.
Behind both the
moons and rings is giant Saturn itself,
showing expansive but featureless clouds in the
green light where the above image was taken.
The Cassini mission around Saturn has now
been extended to
2017
to better study the complex planetary system as its season changes from
equinox to
solstice.
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.
