Saturn at Night
Explanation:
Still
bright
in planet Earth's night skies,
good telescopic views
of Saturn and its beautiful rings often make it a star at
star parties.
But this stunning view of Saturn's rings and night side
just isn't possible from telescopes closer to the Sun
than the outer planet.
They can only bring
Saturn's day into view.
In fact, this image of Saturn's slender sunlit crescent
with night's shadow cast across its broad and complex ring system
was captured by the Cassini spacecraft.
A robot spacecraft from planet Earth, Cassini called Saturn orbit
home for 13 years before it was directed to dive
into the atmosphere of the gas giant on September 15, 2017.
This magnificent mosaic is composed of frames
recorded by Cassini's
wide-angle camera only two days before its
grand
final plunge.
Saturn's night will not be seen again until
another
spaceship
from Earth calls.
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.
