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Walter Schirra
Pictured is astronaut Walter …
11/19/07
Description Pictured is astronaut Walter M. Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. Schirra's Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, during which he piloted his Sigma 7 spacecraft, was the third manned orbital flight by the United States. Image credit: NASA
Date 11/19/07
Toward the Shadow
Description This strikingly crisp view shows Atlas heading into Saturn's shadow at upper left. The moon's basic, elongated shape is easy to detect here.
Full Description This strikingly crisp view shows Atlas heading into Saturn's shadow at upper left. The moon's basic, elongated shape is easy to detect here. (See Watching Atlas's Waistline for a different perspective on Atlas.) Above Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) in the image, a bright clump in the F ring also heads toward the darkness. This view looks toward the unlit side of the rings from about 30 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 19, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 7 kilometers (4 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 1, 2007
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098665.jpg was taken on December 07, 2007 and received on Earth December 08, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 1,790,834 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098666.jpg was taken on December 07, 2007 and received on Earth December 08, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 1,790,832 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098680.jpg was taken on December 07, 2007 and received on Earth December 08, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,049,337 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description W00040047.jpg was taken on December 07, 2007 and received on Earth December 08, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,048,571 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description W00040039.jpg was taken on December 07, 2007 and received on Earth December 08, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 1,790,832 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Atlas and the F Ring
Description The Cassini spacecraft gazes toward the multiple strands of the ever-changing F ring, also sighting Atlas at its station just beyond the A ring edge.
Full Description The Cassini spacecraft gazes toward the multiple strands of the ever-changing F ring, also sighting Atlas at its station just beyond the A ring edge. A few faint background stars are visible in the image. Atlas, which appears left of center, is 32 kilometers (20 miles across). This view looks toward the unlit side of the rings from about 58 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 10, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas and at a Sun-Atlas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 128 degrees. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date March 29, 2007
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098681.jpg was taken on December 07, 2007 and received on Earth December 08, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,048,571 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098682.jpg was taken on December 08, 2007 and received on Earth December 09, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,203,740 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description W00040082.jpg was taken on December 08, 2007 and received on Earth December 09, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,203,863 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Emergent Moons
Description Emergent Moons
Full Description Atlas and Pan emerge from the far side of Saturn. Light passing through the upper reaches of the planet''s atmosphere is refracted, or bent, distorting the image of the rings beyond. Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across) is seen within the Encke Gap. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) orbits just beyond the outer edge of Saturn''s A ring. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 12 degrees above the ringplane. Shadows cast by the rings arc across the planet toward the Cassini spacecraft. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 12, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date May 23, 2007
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098683.jpg was taken on December 08, 2007 and received on Earth December 09, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,203,863 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Ring Moon Rendezvous
Description Ring Moon Rendezvous
Full Description Across the expanse of Saturn's rings, the Cassini spacecraft spies two small moons in consort. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is seen exterior to the bright outer edge of the A ring. Daphnis (7 kilometers, or 4.3 miles across), below Atlas in this view, orbits Saturn within the narrow Keeler Gap. The presence of Daphnis is revealed by the waves it raises in the ring material surrounding it on the edges of the gap. Daphnis and its waves moved between exposures taken to create this color view, resulting in their slight displacement in each color. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 18 degrees above the ringplane. Bright clumps are visible in the narrow F ring. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were acquired with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 13, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 11 kilometers (7 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date May 16, 2007
In-between Moon
Description In-between Moon
Full Description A small icy world plies the space between Saturn's A and F rings. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is seen here, along with clumps of material in the F ring. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 13 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 29, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 11 kilometers (7 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date June 7, 2007
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098733.jpg was taken on December 12, 2007 and received on Earth December 13, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,312,080 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description N00098732.jpg was taken on December 12, 2007 and received on Earth December 13, 2007. The camera was pointing toward ATLAS at approximately 2,312,083 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2008. For more information on raw images check out our frequently asked questions section. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Sojourn at Saturn
Description Sojourn at Saturn
Full Description Off the shoulder of giant Saturn, a bright pinpoint marks the location of the ring moon Atlas (image center). Shadows cast by the C ring adorn the planet at upper right. The thin boundary of Saturn's high haze layer can be seen immediately to the left of the planet's limb, near center. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from less than a degree above the ringplane. Atlas is 32 kilometers (20 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 17, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 13 kilometers (8 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date August 1, 2007
Sidelong View
Description Sidelong View
Full Description Saturn's enchanting rings display crisply defined edges and strong contrast on their unilluminated side. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) sits on the far side of the rings above center, between the A and F rings. This view was acquired from about 1 degree above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 21, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.4 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 14 kilometers (9 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date August 6, 2007
Inclined Dione
Description Inclined Dione
Full Description Dione looms large before the rings of Saturn. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) can be spotted to the lower left of the larger moon, peeking out from behind the rings. This view looks toward the leading hemisphere of Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across). North is up and rotated 25 degrees to the right. The view is toward the sunlit side of the rings from less than a degree below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 22, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 695,000 kilometers (432,000 miles) from Dione. Image scale is 4 kilometers (3 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date September 5, 2007
Cluster of Moons
Description Three of Saturn's closest-orbiting moons are captured here, rounding the rings.
Full Description Three of Saturn's closest-orbiting moons are captured here, rounding the rings. From innermost to outermost are Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across), Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) and Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across). The F ring displays a double-banded structure here, along with its usual squiggles and kinks. Near right, a faint ringlet can be observed within the Encke Gap. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 4 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 6, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2.9 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 17 kilometers (10 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date October 8, 2007
Moon Harvest
Description Moon Harvest
Full Description Three of Saturn's brood hurtle around the vast icy disk of its rings. Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) hangs at the top of this view, with its large crater Herschel in view, Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) lies outside the narrow F ring at right, and centered between the F and A rings at bottom is little Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across). This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 5 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 19, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 3.2 million kilometers (2 million miles) from Mimas, on which the image scale is 19 kilometers (12 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date October 30, 2007
Darkside Beauty
Description Darkside Beauty
Full Description The Cassini spacecraft spies the small moon Atlas, accompanied by bright clumps of material in the F ring, as it gazes down at the unilluminated side of the rings. This view looks toward the rings from about 4 degrees above the ringplane. Atlas is a mere 32 kilometers (20 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Oct. 1, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 532,000 kilometers (330,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-ring-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 63 degrees at the center of this view. Image scale is about 30 kilometers (18 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date November 6, 2007
Saturn's Saucer Moons
Description Saturn's Saucer Moons
Full Description The highest resolution images of Pan and Atlas reveal distinctive "flying saucer" shapes created by prominent equatorial ridges not seen on the other small moons of Saturn. From left to right: a view of Atlas' trailing hemisphere, with north up, at a spatial scale of about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) per pixel, Atlas seen at about 250 meters (820 feet) per pixel from mid-southern latitudes, with the sub-Saturn hemisphere at the top and leading hemisphere to the left, Pan's trailing hemisphere seen at about 3 kilometers (2 miles) per pixel from low southern latitudes, an equatorial view, with Saturn in the background, of Pan's anti-Saturn hemisphere at about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) per pixel. On Atlas, the ridge extends 20 to 30 degrees in latitude on either side of the equator, on Pan, its latitudinal extent is 15 to 20 degrees. Atlas shows more asymmetry than Pan in having a more rounded ridge in the leading and sub-Saturn quadrants. The heights of the ridges can be crudely estimated by assuming (ellipsoidal) shapes that lack ridges and vary smoothly cross the equator. Heights of Atlas' ridge range from about 3 kilometers (2 miles) at 270 degrees west longitude to 5 kilometers (3 miles) at 180 and 0 degrees. Pan's ridge reaches about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) at 0 degrees west longitude, and is about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 mile) high over most of the rest of the equator. The ridges represent about 27 percent of Atlas' volume and 10 percent of Pan's volume. The images were acquired with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera between 2005 and 2007. Pan is 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) across at its equator and 21 kilometers (13 miles) across at its poles, Atlas is 39 kilometers (24 miles) across at its equator and 18 kilometers (11 miles) across at its poles. 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date December 6, 2007
Crowded Sky
Description Crowded Sky
Full Description A string of icy moons stretches across the Saturn system in this view from nearly edge-on with the ringplane. Nearest to the Cassini spacecraft is Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) below center, then little Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across), huddled close to the narrow F ring. Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across) floats in the distance beyond. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 8, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.9 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 14 kilometers (9 miles) per pixel on Rhea and 19 kilometers (12 miles) per pixel on Dione. 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date August 22, 2007
Across the Disk
Description Across the Disk
Full Description The dramatic plane of Saturn's rings is indeed a huge expanse. Gazing straight across the vertical center of this view, the Cassini spacecraft takes in more than 200,000 kilometers (124,000 miles) from one side of the rings to the other. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is gliding past below center. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 2 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 24, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date August 9, 2007
'Dancing with the Stars' Tak …
Title 'Dancing with the Stars' Takes on a Whole New Twist
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Two galaxies perform an intricate dance in this new Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxies, containing a vast number of stars, swing past each other in a graceful performance choreographed by gravity. The pair, known collectively as Arp 87, is one of hundreds of interacting and merging galaxies known in our nearby universe. Arp 87 is in the constellation Leo, the Lion, approximately 300 million light-years away from Earth. These observations were taken in February 2007 with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2.
Fires in Algeria
Title Fires in Algeria
Description Fires burning in the Atlas Mountains on the northern coast of Algeria turned deadly in late August 2007. Several people were killed by forest fires that were driven rapidly across the landscape by sirocco winds (hot dry winds that blow from Africa's interior deserts toward the Mediterranean). According to news reports, thousands of soldiers were deployed to help battle the fires. Cooler weather and firefighting efforts brought many fires under control by August 31. This image shows fires (red outlines) detected around the city of Skikda by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 30, 2007. Smoke creates a thick haze over the Mediterranean Sea. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily images of the western [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Blida ] and eastern [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Lampedusa ] Algerian coastline in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Algeria
Title Fires in Algeria
Description Scores of forest fires were burning in northern Algeria in late August 2007. Although much of the country is occupied by the Sahara Desert, Mediterranean forests, [ http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1213_full.html ] woodlands, and chaparral occur on the Atlas Mountains that line the coast. On August 29, 2007, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of the fires billowing thick clouds of brownish-gray smoke over the Mediterranean Sea. The smoke is so thick that the capital, Algiers, is not visible beneath it. According to news reports, dozens of families have had to evacuate, and the number of people seeking medical attention for respiratory and allergy problems has dramatically increased. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Blida ] images of the region in additional resolutions. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Smoke from Fires in Greece
Title Smoke from Fires in Greece
Description Besides laying waste to huge areas of forest, fires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14474 ] burning in Greece in August 2007 released pollutants that traveled across the Mediterranean Sea and into Africa. This image shows aerosols—tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in air—observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite layered on the photo-like Blue Marble [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ] composite image. Relatively clear air is transparent. Highest aerosol concentrations are pink. On August 26, 2007, aerosols from the fires on the southwestern coast of Greece took a fairly direct route across the Mediterranean Sea to the western part of the Libyan coast. A large pool of smoke collected over the Gulf of Sirte, off the Libyan coast. Another pocket of thick aerosols appears over Algeria. These particles are probably smoke emitted from fires burning in Algeria [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14478 ] over a long stretch of the coastal Atlas Mountains. Farther south over the deserts of northern Africa, the light green areas of moderate aerosol amounts could be smoke or dust. On August 27, 2007, aerosols still crossed the Mediterranean Sea, but they took a more circular route. They spread southward in a clockwise direction from Greece, across the island of Crete, and concentrated thickly over eastern Libya. The other large pocket of aerosols—the pink patch hovering over the border of Libya and Algeria—may include smoke from Algeria and Greece. As on the previous day, some aerosols collected over Egypt and eastern Libya. OMI detects the amount of light of different wavelengths that the atmosphere scatters back to space, the amount of backscattered sunlight is affected by what is in the atmosphere. To make an aerosol index with OMI data, scientists compare the amount of ultraviolet (UV) light the atmosphere scatters back at given place and time to the amount of UV light that the atmosphere would scatter back if it were totally clear. You can download a KMZ file KMZ file of the smoke from Greece suitable for use with Google Earth [ http://earth.google.com/ ] for both August 26 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/greece_omi_2007238.kmz ] and August 27. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/greece_omi_2007239.kmz ] Image courtesy Omar Torres, OMI Science Team, and Colin Seftor, NASA NPP Science Team.
Fires in Algeria: Natural Ha …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Fires burning in the Atlas M …
algeria_AMO_2007242
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-08-30
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier algeria_AMO_2007242
Fires in Algeria: Natural Ha …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Scores of forest fires were …
Algeria_AMO_2007241
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-08-29
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Algeria_AMO_2007241
Cold and Snow: Image of the …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
How cold and snowy will it g …
ge_08349
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-12-01
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_08349
Cold and Snow: Image of the …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
How cold and snowy will it g …
ge_08349
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-12-01
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_08349
Cold and Snow: Image of the …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
How cold and snowy will it g …
ge_08349
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-12-01
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_08349
Smoke Spreading from Greece …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Besides laying waste to huge …
greece_omi_2007239_lrg
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-08-26
creator NASA -- Image courtesy Omar Torres, OMI Science Team, and Colin Seftor, NASA NPP Science Team.
identifier greece_omi_2007239_lrg
Smoke Spreading from Greece …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Besides laying waste to huge …
greece_omi_2007239_lrg
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-08-26
creator NASA -- Image courtesy Omar Torres, OMI Science Team, and Colin Seftor, NASA NPP Science Team.
identifier greece_omi_2007239_lrg
Forest Fires in Algeria: Ima …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Scores of forest fires were …
ge_08007
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-08-29
creator NASA -- NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center.
identifier ge_08007
Ring Moon Rendezvous
PIA08941
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Ring Moon Rendezvous
Original Caption Released with Image Across the expanse of Saturn's rings, the Cassini spacecraft spies two small moons in consort. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is seen exterior to the bright outer edge of the A ring. Daphnis (7 kilometers, or 4.3 miles across), below Atlas in this view, orbits Saturn within the narrow Keeler Gap. The presence of Daphnis is revealed by the waves it raises in the ring material surrounding it on the edges of the gap. Daphnis and its waves moved between exposures taken to create this color view, resulting in their slight displacement in each color. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 18 degrees above the ringplane. Bright clumps are visible in the narrow F ring. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were acquired with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 13, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 11 kilometers (7 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.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
Emergent Moons
PIA08946
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem
Title Emergent Moons
Original Caption Released with Image Atlas and Pan emerge from the far side of Saturn. Light passing through the upper reaches of the planet's atmosphere is refracted, or bent, distorting the image of the rings beyond. Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across) is seen within the Encke Gap. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) orbits just beyond the outer edge of Saturn's A ring. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 12 degrees above the ringplane. Shadows cast by the rings arc across the planet toward the Cassini spacecraft. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 12, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 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.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
In-between Moon
PIA08957
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title In-between Moon
Original Caption Released with Image A small icy world plies the space between Saturn's A and F rings. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is seen here, along with clumps of material in the F ring. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 13 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 29, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 11 kilometers (7 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.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
Crowded Sky
PIA09011
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Crowded Sky
Original Caption Released with Image A string of icy moons stretches across the Saturn system in this view from nearly edge-on with the ringplane. Nearest to the Cassini spacecraft is Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) below center, then little Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across), huddled close to the narrow F ring. Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across) floats in the distance beyond. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 8, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.9 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 14 kilometers (9 miles) per pixel on Rhea and 19 kilometers (12 miles) per pixel on Dione. 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.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
Sojourn at Saturn
PIA08996
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Sojourn at Saturn
Original Caption Released with Image Off the shoulder of giant Saturn, a bright pinpoint marks the location of the ring moon Atlas (image center). Shadows cast by the C ring adorn the planet at upper right. The thin boundary of Saturn's high haze layer can be seen immediately to the left of the planet's limb, near center. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from less than a degree above the ringplane. Atlas is 32 kilometers (20 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 17, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 13 kilometers (8 miles) per pixel.
Sidelong View
PIA08999
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Sidelong View
Original Caption Released with Image Saturn's enchanting rings display crisply defined edges and strong contrast on their unilluminated side. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) sits on the far side of the rings above center, between the A and F rings. This view was acquired from about 1 degree above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 21, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.4 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 14 kilometers (9 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.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
Across the Disk
PIA09002
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Across the Disk
Original Caption Released with Image The dramatic plane of Saturn's rings is indeed a huge expanse. Gazing straight across the vertical center of this view, the Cassini spacecraft takes in more than 200,000 kilometers (124,000 miles) from one side of the rings to the other. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is gliding past below center. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 2 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 24, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 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.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
The Seven Sisters Pose for S …
PIA09263
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) …
Title The Seven Sisters Pose for Spitzer
Original Caption Released with Image The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil. The Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation, are the subject of many legends and writings. Greek mythology holds that the flock of stars was transformed into celestial doves by Zeus to save them from a pursuant Orion. The 19th-century poet Alfred Lord Tennyson described them as "glittering like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid." The star cluster was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, about 100 million years ago. It is significantly younger than our 5-billion-year-old sun. The brightest members of the cluster, also the highest-mass stars, are known in Greek mythology as two parents, Atlas and Pleione, and their seven daughters, Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno and Asterope. There are thousands of additional lower-mass members, including many stars like our sun. Some scientists believe that our sun grew up in a crowded region like the Pleiades, before migrating to its present, more isolated home. The new infrared image from Spitzer highlights the "tangled silver braid" mentioned in the poem by Tennyson. This spider-web-like network of filaments, colored yellow, green and red in this view, is made up of dust associated with the cloud through which the cluster is traveling. The densest portion of the cloud appears in yellow and red, and the more diffuse outskirts are shown in green hues. One of the parent stars, Atlas, can be seen at the bottom, while six of the sisters are visible at top. Additional stars in the cluster are sprinkled throughout the picture in blue. The Spitzer data also reveal never-before-seen brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," and disks of planetary debris (not pictured). John Stauffer of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission says Spitzer's infrared vision allows astronomers to better study the cooler, lower-mass stars in the region, which are much fainter when viewed in optical light. Stauffer, who admits to being biased because the Pleiades is his favorite astronomical object, says the cluster is the perfect laboratory for understanding the evolution of stars. This image is made up of data taken by Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer and its infrared array camera. Light with a wavelength of 4.5 microns is blue, light of 8 microns is green, and light of 24 microns is red. Venus and Pleiades Mingle in the Sky The sky chart in figure 1, illustrates the Venus-Pleiades encounter that reached its closest approach on April 11, 2007. The Pleiades are a tight gem-like cluster of stars that resemble a tiny dipper (but should not be confused with the Little Dipper constellation). If you look west shortly after sunset, Venus will be the brightest object in the sky. If the skies are clear and dark, you'll also see the Pleiades twinkling above Venus. On April 19, the moon will join the party, sliding between Venus and the Pleiades. Viewers in the northern and southern hemispheres will be able to witness the event.
The Seven Sisters Pose for S …
PIA09263
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) …
Title The Seven Sisters Pose for Spitzer
Original Caption Released with Image The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil. The Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation, are the subject of many legends and writings. Greek mythology holds that the flock of stars was transformed into celestial doves by Zeus to save them from a pursuant Orion. The 19th-century poet Alfred Lord Tennyson described them as "glittering like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid." The star cluster was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, about 100 million years ago. It is significantly younger than our 5-billion-year-old sun. The brightest members of the cluster, also the highest-mass stars, are known in Greek mythology as two parents, Atlas and Pleione, and their seven daughters, Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno and Asterope. There are thousands of additional lower-mass members, including many stars like our sun. Some scientists believe that our sun grew up in a crowded region like the Pleiades, before migrating to its present, more isolated home. The new infrared image from Spitzer highlights the "tangled silver braid" mentioned in the poem by Tennyson. This spider-web-like network of filaments, colored yellow, green and red in this view, is made up of dust associated with the cloud through which the cluster is traveling. The densest portion of the cloud appears in yellow and red, and the more diffuse outskirts are shown in green hues. One of the parent stars, Atlas, can be seen at the bottom, while six of the sisters are visible at top. Additional stars in the cluster are sprinkled throughout the picture in blue. The Spitzer data also reveal never-before-seen brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," and disks of planetary debris (not pictured). John Stauffer of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission says Spitzer's infrared vision allows astronomers to better study the cooler, lower-mass stars in the region, which are much fainter when viewed in optical light. Stauffer, who admits to being biased because the Pleiades is his favorite astronomical object, says the cluster is the perfect laboratory for understanding the evolution of stars. This image is made up of data taken by Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer and its infrared array camera. Light with a wavelength of 4.5 microns is blue, light of 8 microns is green, and light of 24 microns is red. Venus and Pleiades Mingle in the Sky The sky chart in figure 1, illustrates the Venus-Pleiades encounter that reached its closest approach on April 11, 2007. The Pleiades are a tight gem-like cluster of stars that resemble a tiny dipper (but should not be confused with the Little Dipper constellation). If you look west shortly after sunset, Venus will be the brightest object in the sky. If the skies are clear and dark, you'll also see the Pleiades twinkling above Venus. On April 19, the moon will join the party, sliding between Venus and the Pleiades. Viewers in the northern and southern hemispheres will be able to witness the event.
The Seven Sisters Pose for S …
PIA09263
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) …
Title The Seven Sisters Pose for Spitzer
Original Caption Released with Image The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil. The Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation, are the subject of many legends and writings. Greek mythology holds that the flock of stars was transformed into celestial doves by Zeus to save them from a pursuant Orion. The 19th-century poet Alfred Lord Tennyson described them as "glittering like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid." The star cluster was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, about 100 million years ago. It is significantly younger than our 5-billion-year-old sun. The brightest members of the cluster, also the highest-mass stars, are known in Greek mythology as two parents, Atlas and Pleione, and their seven daughters, Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno and Asterope. There are thousands of additional lower-mass members, including many stars like our sun. Some scientists believe that our sun grew up in a crowded region like the Pleiades, before migrating to its present, more isolated home. The new infrared image from Spitzer highlights the "tangled silver braid" mentioned in the poem by Tennyson. This spider-web-like network of filaments, colored yellow, green and red in this view, is made up of dust associated with the cloud through which the cluster is traveling. The densest portion of the cloud appears in yellow and red, and the more diffuse outskirts are shown in green hues. One of the parent stars, Atlas, can be seen at the bottom, while six of the sisters are visible at top. Additional stars in the cluster are sprinkled throughout the picture in blue. The Spitzer data also reveal never-before-seen brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," and disks of planetary debris (not pictured). John Stauffer of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission says Spitzer's infrared vision allows astronomers to better study the cooler, lower-mass stars in the region, which are much fainter when viewed in optical light. Stauffer, who admits to being biased because the Pleiades is his favorite astronomical object, says the cluster is the perfect laboratory for understanding the evolution of stars. This image is made up of data taken by Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer and its infrared array camera. Light with a wavelength of 4.5 microns is blue, light of 8 microns is green, and light of 24 microns is red. Venus and Pleiades Mingle in the Sky The sky chart in figure 1, illustrates the Venus-Pleiades encounter that reached its closest approach on April 11, 2007. The Pleiades are a tight gem-like cluster of stars that resemble a tiny dipper (but should not be confused with the Little Dipper constellation). If you look west shortly after sunset, Venus will be the brightest object in the sky. If the skies are clear and dark, you'll also see the Pleiades twinkling above Venus. On April 19, the moon will join the party, sliding between Venus and the Pleiades. Viewers in the northern and southern hemispheres will be able to witness the event.
Pink Pleiades
PIA09262
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Title Pink Pleiades
Original Caption Released with Image Venus and Pleiades Mingle in the Sky Diagram The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in a cushiony veil. The Pleiades, located more than 400 light-years away in the Taurus constellation, are the subject of many legends and writings. Greek mythology holds that the flock of stars was transformed into celestial doves by Zeus to save them from a pursuant Orion. The 19th-century poet Alfred Lord Tennyson described them as "glittering like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid." The star cluster was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, about 100 million years ago. It is significantly younger than our 5-billion-year-old sun. The brightest members of the cluster, also the highest-mass stars, are known in Greek mythology as two parents, Atlas and Pleione, and their seven daughters, Alcyone, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Celaeno and Asterope. There are thousands of additional lower-mass members, including many stars like our sun. Some scientists believe that our sun grew up in a crowded region like the Pleiades, before migrating to its present, more isolated home. The new infrared image from Spitzer highlights the "tangled silver braid" mentioned in the poem by Tennyson. This spider-web-like network of filaments, colored red in this view, is made up of dust associated with the cloud through which the cluster is traveling. One of the parent stars, Atlas, can be seen at the bottom, while six of the sisters are visible at top. Additional stars in the cluster are sprinkled throughout the picture in blue. The Spitzer data also reveal never-before-seen brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," and disks of planetary debris (not pictured). John Stauffer of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission says Spitzer's infrared vision allows astronomers to better study the cooler, lower-mass stars in the region, which are much fainter when viewed in optical light. Stauffer, who admits to being biased because the Pleiades is his favorite astronomical object, says the cluster is the perfect laboratory for understanding the evolution of stars. This image shows infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange, light of 4.5 microns is green, and light of 3.6 microns is blue. Venus and Pleiades Mingle in the Sky The sky chart in figure 1, illustrates the Venus-Pleiades encounter that reached its closest approach on April 11, 2007. The Pleiades are a tight gem-like cluster of stars that resemble a tiny dipper (but should not be confused with the Little Dipper constellation). If you look west shortly after sunset, Venus will be the brightest object in the sky. If the skies are clear and dark, you'll also see the Pleiades twinkling above Venus. On April 19, the moon will join the party, sliding between Venus and the Pleiades. Viewers in the northern and southern hemispheres will be able to witness the event.
Inclined Dione
PIA09721
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Inclined Dione
Original Caption Released with Image Dione looms large before the rings of Saturn. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) can be spotted to the lower left of the larger moon, peeking out from behind the rings. This view looks toward the leading hemisphere of Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across). North is up and rotated 25 degrees to the right. The view is toward the sunlit side of the rings from less than a degree below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 22, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 695,000 kilometers (432,000 miles) from Dione. Image scale is 4 kilometers (3 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.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
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