Flora Graham, deputy editor, newscientist.com
(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI)
Like a Christmas bauble hanging in the night, this view of
a backlit Saturn shines in the darkness. The image was taken during a rare chance
for NASA's
Cassini spacecraft to observe the planet's rings while in Saturn's shadow. Conveniently,
Saturn blocks the sun and the rings are illuminated from behind.
As well as providing a unique view of an already enchanting
world, the image reveals details in the rings that aren't easily seen in direct
sunlight. The picture is a composite of
infrared, red and violet-spectrum photos taken by Cassini in October and
released this week.
The last opportunity for Cassini to spot Saturn from this
angle was in 2006, when NASA created a mosaic of images that revealed
previously unknown faint rings around the planet.
The two tiny dots in the lower left-hand quarter of the
photo are two of Saturn's moons, Enceladus and Tethys. Enceladus is closer to
the rings; Tethys is below and to the left. Previous Cassini fly-bys
discovered that Enceladus
is a geologist's paradise of snaking ridges, chasms and scratches,
while Tethys hosts a mysterious
spear-shaped feature.
For more on Saturn and Cassini, visit our Saturn and its
moons topic guide.
Cassini captures spectacle in Saturn's shadow
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Cassini captures spectacle in Saturn's shadow
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Cassini captures spectacle in Saturn's shadow
