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Collection:
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NASA Cassini-Huygens Collection
Collection
NASA Cassini-Huygens Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Diagnostic Darkness
Title
Diagnostic Darkness
Title
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Description:
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An image of Saturn through the rings.
description
An image of Saturn through the rings.
Description
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Full Description:
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This magnificent view looks down upon, and partially through, Saturn's rings from their unlit side. The densest part of the rings occults the bright globe of Saturn. Scientists can use observations like this to determine precisely the concentration of ring particles. When the bright source is the signals coming from the spacecraft, the technique is called a 'radio occultation.' In a radio occultation measurement, a signal is beamed toward Earth from Cassini's 4-meter-wide (13-foot) high-gain antenna. Researchers on Earth receive the signal as the spacecraft passes behind the rings. The reduction in Cassini's radio signal tells researchers how densely packed the ring particles are. Scientists can also learn about the size distributions of the particles from occultations. As an added (but tiny) bonus, Saturn's moon Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is visible as a dark speck against the planet, just outside the A ring. The image was taken in visible red light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 2, 2005, at a distance of approximately 617,000 kilometers (383,000 miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 37 kilometers (23 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.n…. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Full_Description
This magnificent view looks down upon, and partially through, Saturn's rings from their unlit side. The densest part of the rings occults the bright globe of Saturn. Scientists can use observations like this to determine precisely the concentration of ring particles. When the bright source is the signals coming from the spacecraft, the technique is called a 'radio occultation.' In a radio occultation measurement, a signal is beamed toward Earth from Cassini's 4-meter-wide (13-foot) high-gain antenna. Researchers on Earth receive the signal as the spacecraft passes behind the rings. The reduction in Cassini's radio signal tells researchers how densely packed the ring particles are. Scientists can also learn about the size distributions of the particles from occultations. As an added (but tiny) bonus, Saturn's moon Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is visible as a dark speck against the planet, just outside the A ring. The image was taken in visible red light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 2, 2005, at a distance of approximately 617,000 kilometers (383,000 miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 37 kilometers (23 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.n…. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Full Description
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Date:
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September 2, 2005
Date
September 2, 2005
Date
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Keywords:
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gallery
keywords
gallery
Keywords
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Keywords:
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images
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Keywords:
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Cassini
keywords
Cassini
Keywords
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Keywords:
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mission
keywords
mission
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Huygens
keywords
Huygens
Keywords
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Keywords:
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probe
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Keywords:
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Saturn
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Keywords:
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explore
keywords
explore
Keywords
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Keywords:
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videos
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Keywords:
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movies
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Keywords:
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Jupiter
keywords
Jupiter
Keywords
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Keywords:
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flyby
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Keywords:
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spacecraft
keywords
spacecraft
Keywords
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Keywords:
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assembly
keywords
assembly
Keywords
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Keywords:
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launch
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Keywords:
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flight
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Keywords:
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operations facilities
keywords
operations facilities
Keywords
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Keywords:
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mpeg
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Keywords:
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Quicktime
keywords
Quicktime
Keywords
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facet_what:
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Saturn
facet_what
Saturn
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Cassini
facet_what
Cassini
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Cassini-Huygens
facet_what
Cassini-Huygens
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Huygens Probe
facet_what
Huygens Probe
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Cassini Orbiter
facet_what
Cassini Orbiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Atlas
facet_what
Atlas
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Saturn
facet_where
Saturn
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
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facet_where:
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California
facet_where
California
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington
facet_where
Washington
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_when:
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September 2, 2005
facet_when
September 2, 2005
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2005
facet_when_year
2005
facet_when_year
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UID:
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SPD-SATRN-1697
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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