Between the Rings
Explanation:
On April 12,
as the Sun was blocked by the disk of Saturn the
Cassini spacecraft camera looked toward the inner Solar System
and the gas giant's
backlit rings.
At the top of the mosaicked view is the A ring with its
broader Encke and narrower Keeler gaps visible.
At the bottom is the F ring, bright due to the viewing geometry.
The point of light between the rings is
Earth, 1.4 billion
kilometers in the distance.
Look
carefully and you can even spot Earth's
large moon,
a pinprick of light to the planet's left.
Today Cassini makes its final close approach to
Saturn's own large moon Titan, using Titan's gravity to swing
into the spacecraft's Grand Finale, the
final set of orbits that will bring Cassini just
inside
Saturn's rings.
Celebrate Earth Day:
Adopt the Planet
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.
