NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Beams Back Stunning Image of Saturn

Jan 11, 2016 by News Staff
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NASA’s Cassini robotic orbiter has sent an amazing picture of Saturn, one of the Solar System’s gas giants.

This image, taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, shows Saturn. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

This image, taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, shows Saturn. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

Cassini’s wide-angle camera took this picture of Saturn on March 7, 2015.

The image was taken through a filter that preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 752 nm.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from roughly 8 degrees above the ring plane.

Tethys, the fifth largest moon of Saturn, is seen in the image at lower right.

The moon has been brightened by a factor of two to increase its visibility.

At the time of this image, Cassini was roughly 1.6 million miles (2.6 million km) from Saturn.

Tethys is slightly closer at 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km) away.

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