Over Saturns Turbulent North Pole
Explanation:
The Cassini spacecraft's
Grand Finale
at Saturn has begun.
The Grand Finale will allow
Cassini to explore Saturn and some of Saturn's moons and rings in unprecedented detail.
The first phase started two weeks ago when a close flyby of Titan changed Cassini's
orbit into one that passes near Saturn's poles and just outside of Saturn's outermost
F-ring.
Featured here
is an image taken during the first of Cassini's 20 week-long
F-ring
orbits around Saturn.
Visible are the
central polar vortex on the upper left, a
hexagonal cloud boundary through the image center, and
numerous light-colored turbulent storm systems.
In 2017 April,
Cassini will again use the gravity of Titan to begin a new series of 22
Proximal
orbits -- trajectories that will take Cassini inside of
Saturn's rings for the first time.
Cassini's new
science adventure is scheduled to end on 2017 September 17, though, when the
robotic spacecraft will be directed into a dramatic
mission-ending dive into Saturn's atmosphere.
Free Download:
APOD 2017 Calendar: NASA Images
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.
