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Atlas of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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Watching Atlas's Waistline
| Description |
Watching Atlas's Waistline |
| Full Description |
The Cassini spacecraft finds oddly-shaped Atlas gliding along the edge of the A ring. The moon has a prominent equatorial bulge, which is accentuated here by the grazing viewing angle of Cassini, making Atlas appear pointy. Cassini images revealed in 2004 that a faint ring of material coincides with the orbit of Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across). See The Atlas Ring for more information. This view looks upward, toward the lit side of Saturn's rings. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 30, 2006 at a distance of approximately 283,000 kilometers (176,000 miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) 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, 2006 |
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Down Under on Pan
| Description |
Down Under on Pan |
| Full Description |
Hiding within the Encke gap is the small moon Pan, partly in shadow and party cut off by the outer A ring in this view. Similar to Atlas, Pan appears to have a slight ridge around its middle, and like Atlas, Pan's orbit also coincides with a faint ringlet. (See Cruising with Pan for a movie featuring Pan). Pan is 26 kilometers (16 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 30, 2006 at a distance of approximately 269,000 kilometers (167,000 miles) from Pan. Image scale is 2 kilometers (5,259 feet) 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 |
July 27, 2006 |
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Saturn Shine
| Description |
Saturn Shine |
| Full Description |
This view looks down onto the unlit side of Saturn's ringplane. It nicely shows a near-arm/far-arm brightness asymmetry in the B ring: The near arm of the B ring (in the lower half of the image) is notably darker from this viewing geometry than is the far arm (above). Imaging scientists believe this to be a manifestation of the reflection of light from the disk of Saturn falling predominantly on the far arm of the rings. (At the time this image was taken, Cassini was more or less on the dark side of the planet.) As the B ring is the thickest part of Saturn's rings, it scatters less sunlight from below, and reflects more Saturn shine from above, than either the A or C rings, making the effect look more dramatic in the B ring. Two small moons appear in this scene as well: Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is visible above and left of center and outside the A ring, Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) can be seen near upper right beyond the F ring. Between the two moons lie multiple clumps of material in the F ring. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 25, 2006 at a distance of approximately 1 million kilometers (600,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 128 degrees. Image scale is 58 kilometers (36 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 28, 2006 |
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Janus Hides in Plain Sight
| Description |
Janus Hides in Plain Sight |
| Full Description |
Tiny, dust-sized particles in Saturn's rings become much easier to see at high phase angle -- the angle formed by the Sun, the rings and the spacecraft. The brightest ring at the right is the F ring, the next feature to the left is the outer edge of the A ring. Inward of that, and very bright, are the ringlets in the Encke gap. Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles across) is easy to spot just right of the outer F ring edge. Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across), however, is quite a bit harder to make out, it is the dark spot located directly to the left of Epimetheus, above the gap between the A and F rings. Within the space between the A and F rings there are two faint rings seen previously by the Cassini spacecraft. The inner faint ring (called R/2004 S1) coincides with the orbit of Atlas. The outer one forms the inner boundary of the orbit of Prometheus. The narrow G ring is visible above and below the bright F ring. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 15, 2006 at a distance of approximately 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from Epimetheus and 2.8 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from Janus. The view was acquired at a Sun-Epimetheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 164 degrees. Image scale is 16 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 |
August 16, 2006 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Rings and More Rings
| Description |
Rings and More Rings |
| Full Description |
Cassini images have revealed the presence of previously unseen faint rings in some of the gaps in Saturn's rings -- possible indicators of small yet-unseen moons. Image A is a contrast-stretched view of the 270-kilometer-wide (170 mile) Maxwell gap in Saturn's C ring. The right arrow points to the optically thick Maxwell ringlet, the left arrow points to the new diffuse ring seen inside it. Image B is a view of the approximately 350-kilometer-wide (220 miles) Huygens gap, between the outer edge of Saturn's B ring (on the left) and the dark bands (on the right) in the Cassini division. The right arrow points to the optically thick Huygens ring, the left arrow points to the new diffuse ring inside it. Image C is a view of the ringlets inside the Encke gap. Some of these had been seen by NASA's Voyager spacecraft, but this contrast-enhanced Cassini lit-side image shows the presence of three major ringlets and a rather tenuous one. The center ringlet, which in this image has the highest optical depth among the ringlets, is coincident with Pan's orbit. This finding, along with observed variations in brightness along the ringlet, implies that accumulations of particles in the ringlet are maintained in special orbits that prevent them from colliding with Pan. In Image D, which is a composite of several wide angle images taken of the lit-side of the rings after orbit insertion, there is clear indication of material extending about 400 kilometers (250 miles) beyond the edge of Saturn's overexposed A ring (on the right), as well as two diffuse rings: a 300-kilometer-wide (190 mile) ring of material, R/2004 S1, in the orbit of Atlas (left-most arrow) and another ring, R/2004 S2, comparable to the Atlas ring and immediately interior to Prometheus's orbit (right-most arrow). These rings had been reported earlier and are comparable to the jovian ring. Prometheus's orbit is elliptical, and brings the moon as close to Saturn as the outer edge of R/2004 S2 and as far away from the planet as the inner sharp boundary of Saturn's F ring. These observations indicate that Prometheus has swept material from the region occupied by its orbit. It is not clear yet whether the origin of all these low-optical depth ringlets is the same. The association of the Atlas ring with Atlas and the main Encke ringlet with Pan would suggest that these rings derive from their associated moon. In other cases, a ring may exist because the material (or small parent bodies within it) are shepherded by a larger moon also present in the gap. The particles in many or all of these diffuse ringlets may have substantial fractions of micrometer-sized dust, implying that non-gravitational forces also may affect the ringlets' dynamics. In any case, the presence of narrow, diffuse ringlets in gaps like Maxwell and Huygens, along with the major Maxwell and Huygens ringlets, and the additional narrow ringlets in the Encke gap, suggests that there may be yet unseen moonlets in these gaps., 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For images visit the Cassini imaging team home page http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
February 24, 2005 |
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Little Moons
| Description |
Little Moons |
| Full Description |
The irregularly-shaped moon Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) and the small ring moon Atlas (32 kilometers, 20 miles across) had just emerged from the darkness of Saturn's shadow when Cassini caught this view of the two moons. Saturn's bright A ring is largely overexposed in this view, but several other ring details are nicely visible. The image shows two bright regions within the B ring (at right), ringlets of material within the dark, narrow Encke Gap and kinks in the F ring. North on Saturn is tilted toward upper left. This view is from Cassini's vantage point beneath the ring plane. It is notable that, as Saturn orbits the Sun, its shadow has been steadily creeping farther out along the ring plane and now extends beyond the F ring. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 26, 2005, at a distance of approximately 3.2 million kilometers (2 million miles) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 81 degrees. 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
March 11, 2005 |
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Race of the Moons
| 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 |
This movie, showing six of Saturn's small ring-region moons as they raced around the planet, was made from images taken by the Cassini spacecraft on Nov. 15, 2004. The moons appear in following order (their diameters are given in parentheses): Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles), Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles), Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles), Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles), Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles) and Pan (20 kilometers, or 12 miles). Each moon is marked by a colored circle that corresponds to the key at lower left. While little detail on the moons is visible, it is possible to discern the irregular shapes of the larger ones seen in this movie. The rings are overexposed due to the long exposure times used (2 seconds per image): doing so makes the smaller, fainter moons (especially Pan) easier to detect. The direction of the moons¿ motion is prograde, or clockwise as seen from Cassini's vantage point beneath the ring plane. In addition to the moons, knots in the F ring are visible here, as are several faint ringlets on both sides of that ring¿s bright core. Faint knots also appear sporadically within the narrow Encke gap, where tiny Pan resides. The movie consists of 73 images and spans a period of just over 14.5 hours, about an orbital period of the particles in the F ring. The individual frames were taken at 12 minute intervals in visible light with Cassini¿s narrow angle camera. The spacecraft was about 4.5 million kilometers (2.8 million miles) from Saturn when the images were taken. Image scale is approximately 26.5 kilometers (16.5 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For images visit the Cassini imaging team home page http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Race of the Moons
| 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 |
This movie, showing six of Saturn's small ring-region moons as they raced around the planet, was made from images taken by the Cassini spacecraft on Nov. 15, 2004. The moons appear in following order (their diameters are given in parentheses): Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles), Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles), Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles), Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles), Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles) and Pan (20 kilometers, or 12 miles). Each moon is marked by a colored circle that corresponds to the key at lower left. While little detail on the moons is visible, it is possible to discern the irregular shapes of the larger ones seen in this movie. The rings are overexposed due to the long exposure times used (2 seconds per image): doing so makes the smaller, fainter moons (especially Pan) easier to detect. The direction of the moons¿ motion is prograde, or clockwise as seen from Cassini's vantage point beneath the ring plane. In addition to the moons, knots in the F ring are visible here, as are several faint ringlets on both sides of that ring¿s bright core. Faint knots also appear sporadically within the narrow Encke gap, where tiny Pan resides. The movie consists of 73 images and spans a period of just over 14.5 hours, about an orbital period of the particles in the F ring. The individual frames were taken at 12 minute intervals in visible light with Cassini¿s narrow angle camera. The spacecraft was about 4.5 million kilometers (2.8 million miles) from Saturn when the images were taken. Image scale is approximately 26.5 kilometers (16.5 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For images visit the Cassini imaging team home page http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Straight Across the Rings
| Description |
The small ring moon Atlas is seen here, on the far side of Saturn's immense ring system |
| Full Description |
The small ring moon Atlas is seen here, on the far side of Saturn's immense ring system. Cassini was only 0.6 degrees above the ring plane when this image was taken. Atlas is 32 kilometers (20 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 11, 2005, at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (957,000 miles) from Atlas and at a Sun-Atlas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 100 degrees. Resolution in the original image was 9 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
April 26, 2005 |
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Mimas Stares Back
| Description |
The moon Mimas and the crater Herschel |
| Full Description |
The great eye of Saturn's moon Mimas, a 130-kilometer-wide (80-mile) impact crater called Herschel, stares out from the battered moon. Several individual ringlets within the F ring are resolved here, and the small moon Atlas is also seen faintly outside the main rings. Mimas is 397 kilometers (247 miles across), the view shows principally the moon's anti-Saturn hemisphere. Atlas is 32 kilometers (20 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 5, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 72 degrees. The image scale is 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
May 23, 2005 |
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Embedded Atlas
| Description |
Atlas above the ringplane |
| Full Description |
From a viewing angle slightly above the ringplane Cassini spied Saturn's moon Atlas, which orbits Saturn between the broad A ring and the thin F ring. The background of Saturn's atmosphere (a uniform grey in this image) lies approximately 76,000 kilometers (47,000 miles) beyond the little moon. Atlas is 32 kilometers (20 miles) across. This image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 18, 2005, at a distance of approximately 914,000 kilometers (568,000 miles) from Atlas. Resolution in the original image was 5 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel. The image has been contrast-enhanced and magnified by a factor of two to aid visibility. When viewed from the dark (unlit) side, the rings are essentially an inverse of their familiar appearance (see From the Dark Side and Rings from Afar to compare the different views). 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, 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 10, 2005 |
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New Object in F ring
| Description |
New Object in F ring |
| Full Description |
A small new found object, temporarily designated S/2004 S 3, has been seen orbiting Saturn's outer F ring. The tiny object, seen in this movie centered in a green box, orbits the planet at a distance of approximately 141,000 kilometers (86,420 miles) from the center of Saturn. Its nature, moon or clump, is not presently known. This movie is a sequence of 18 images taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on June 21, 2004. Images were taken every eight minutes over the course of two and one-quarter hours. Each image has been enhanced to show the presence of the newly detected object. In the first frame, the small moon Atlas (32 kilometers or 20 miles across) can be seen near the main rings at lower left. About one-third of the way through the sequence the moon Janus (181 kilometers or 112 miles across) appears in two images at upper right. The size of the object has been estimated to be four to five kilometers (two to three miles) across. Because it is so small, it is not resolved and appears as a faint point of light just barely visible above the background noise. These images, which are part of a sequence specifically designed to search for small new moons in the inner Saturnian system, have not been cleaned of artifacts but have been greatly enhanced in contrast to increase visibility. Consequently, the main rings are overexposed, and many cosmic ray hits and noise patterns are clearly apparent. The image scale is approximately 40 kilometers (25 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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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The Atlas Ring
| Description |
The Atlas Ring |
| Full Description |
A new found ring of material, S/2004 1 R, in the orbit of Saturn's moon Atlas has been seen in this view of the region between the edge of Saturn's A ring and the F ring. The image was taken by the Cassini spacecraft wide angle camera on July 1, 2004, just after the spacecraft had crossed the ring plane following Saturn orbit insertion. The maximum radial resolution is approximately 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel. The region from the A ring to the F ring spans some 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles). The image has been enhanced to show the presence of faint ring material just beyond the edge of the A ring and in the orbit of Atlas (indicated by the red line in the image on the right). The moon Prometheus (102 kilometers or 63 miles across) can be seen close to the F ring at the lower left of the image. 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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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The Atlas Ring
| Description |
The Atlas Ring |
| Full Description |
A new found ring of material, S/2004 1 R, in the orbit of Saturn's moon Atlas has been seen in this view of the region between the edge of Saturn's A ring and the F ring. The image was taken by the Cassini spacecraft wide angle camera on July 1, 2004, just after the spacecraft had crossed the ring plane following Saturn orbit insertion. The maximum radial resolution is approximately 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel. The region from the A ring to the F ring spans some 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles). The image has been enhanced to show the presence of faint ring material just beyond the edge of the A ring and in the orbit of Atlas (indicated by the red line in the image on the right). The moon Prometheus (102 kilometers or 63 miles across) can be seen close to the F ring at the lower left of the image. 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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Atlas, Pandora and Janus
| 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 |
Saturn hosts its own miniature solar system, with an entourage of more than 30 moons. This image shows Saturn's A and F rings, along with three of the moons that orbit close to them. From innermost to outermost, tiny Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles, across) orbits just outside of the bright A ring and is seen above center in this view. Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles, across) is visible near lower right. Prometheus and its smaller cohort, Pandora, shepherd the thin, knotted F ring. Finally Janus (181 kilometers, or 112 miles, across) can be seen near lower left. Janus shares its orbit with the moon Epimetheus. Density waves due to Janus cause some of the bright bands seen in the A ring in this image. Prometheus and Atlas also produce waves in the rings, but their wave regions are too narrow to be seen here. The interactions of the moons with each other and the rings are a major target of study for the Cassini mission. The planet's shadow stretches all the way across the main rings in this view. The shadow has an oval shape at present, but over the next few years will become more rectangular as the planet orbits the Sun and the angle at which sunlight strikes the rings decreases. For an example of this from NASA's Voyager mission, see PIA00335. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on Oct. 6, 2004, at a distance of 6.4 million kilometers (4 million miles) from Saturn through a filter sensitive to wavelengths of visible red light. The image scale is 38 kilometers (24 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 Cassini-Huygens 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Rounding the Rings
| Description |
Rounding the Rings |
| Full Description |
Cassini spied two members of Saturn's family rounding the rings in this image from Aug. 20, 2004. The moons visible in this image are Mimas (398 kilometers, or 247 miles across) near upper right, and Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles across) near the center, outside the faint F ring. Three major gaps in Saturn's rings can be seen here as well. The Cassini division (4,800 kilometer or 2,980 miles wide) is the dark swath at lower right. The Encke Gap (325 kilometers or 202 miles wide) and narrow Keeler Gap (35 kilometers or 22 miles wide) are visible as dark arcs near the edge of the A ring. Small clumps of material are visible in the narrow F ring, beyond the edge of the main rings. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera at a distance of 9 million kilometers (5.6 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 54 kilometers (34 miles) per pixel. Atlas has been brightened to improve visibility. 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 Cassini-Huygens 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Atlas Found!
| 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 |
The Cassini spacecraft has sighted the tiny moon Atlas, which is seen here for the first time since Voyager 1 flew past Saturn in 1980. Cassini's narrow angle camera captured a sequence of 112 images in visible light, which were used to create a movie of Atlas and other moons racing around the outer edge of Saturn's rings. One of those images is shown here. Over the course of almost five and one-quarter hours, Cassini watched the moons as they circled the planet, snapping 1.2-second exposures about 12 minutes apart. These images were part of a sequence designed specifically to search for small moons near Saturn's F ring. Contrast was enhanced in the images, and the rings themselves were overexposed intentionally, to make these small moons visible. A group of three moons can be seen rounding the right loop of Saturn's rings, followed by a fourth moon. In the first group, the moon exterior to Saturn's thin, knotted F ring is Epimetheus (116 kilometers, 72 miles across), the two moons interior to the F ring are Prometheus (102 kilometers, 63 miles across) and tiny unresolved Atlas (32 kilometers, 20 miles across). The fourth moon seen here, exterior to the F ring and tagging along behind the others, is Pandora (84 kilometers, 52 miles across). At the same time, on the left side, Janus can be seen (181 kilometers, 113 miles across). The view is taken looking upward from Cassini's southern vantage point beneath the ring plane. The moons visible here are orbiting Saturn in a plane that is tilted 67 degrees away from the viewer. These images were taken on May 26 and 27, 2004, from a distance of approximately 19.2 million kilometers (11.9 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is approximately 114 kilometers (71 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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Goddard Space Flight Center |
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New Object in F ring
| Description |
New Object in F ring |
| Full Description |
A small new found object, temporarily designated S/2004 S 3, has been seen orbiting Saturn's outer F ring. The tiny object, seen in this movie centered in a green box, orbits the planet at a distance of approximately 141,000 kilometers (86,420 miles) from the center of Saturn. Its nature, moon or clump, is not presently known. This movie is a sequence of 18 images taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on June 21, 2004. Images were taken every eight minutes over the course of two and one-quarter hours. Each image has been enhanced to show the presence of the newly detected object. In the first frame, the small moon Atlas (32 kilometers or 20 miles across) can be seen near the main rings at lower left. About one-third of the way through the sequence the moon Janus (181 kilometers or 112 miles across) appears in two images at upper right. The size of the object has been estimated to be four to five kilometers (two to three miles) across. Because it is so small, it is not resolved and appears as a faint point of light just barely visible above the background noise. These images, which are part of a sequence specifically designed to search for small new moons in the inner Saturnian system, have not been cleaned of artifacts but have been greatly enhanced in contrast to increase visibility. Consequently, the main rings are overexposed, and many cosmic ray hits and noise patterns are clearly apparent. The image scale is approximately 40 kilometers (25 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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Atlas, Pandora and Janus
| Description |
Atlas, Pandora and Janus |
| Full Description |
Saturn hosts its own miniature solar system, with an entourage of more than 30 moons. This image shows Saturn's A and F rings, along with three of the moons that orbit close to them. From innermost to outermost, tiny Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles, across) orbits just outside of the bright A ring and is seen above center in this view. Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles, across) is visible near lower right. Prometheus and its smaller cohort, Pandora, shepherd the thin, knotted F ring. Finally Janus (181 kilometers, or 112 miles, across) can be seen near lower left. Janus shares its orbit with the moon Epimetheus. Density waves due to Janus cause some of the bright bands seen in the A ring in this image. Prometheus and Atlas also produce waves in the rings, but their wave regions are too narrow to be seen here. The interactions of the moons with each other and the rings are a major target of study for the Cassini mission. The planet's shadow stretches all the way across the main rings in this view. The shadow has an oval shape at present, but over the next few years will become more rectangular as the planet orbits the Sun and the angle at which sunlight strikes the rings decreases. For an example of this from NASA's Voyager mission, see PIA00335. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on Oct. 6, 2004, at a distance of 6.4 million kilometers (4 million miles) from Saturn through a filter sensitive to wavelengths of visible red light. The image scale is 38 kilometers (24 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 Cassini-Huygens 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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The Atlas Ring
| Description |
The Atlas Ring |
| Full Description |
A new found ring of material, S/2004 1 R, in the orbit of Saturn's moon Atlas has been seen in this view of the region between the edge of Saturn's A ring and the F ring. The image was taken by the Cassini spacecraft wide angle camera on July 1, 2004, just after the spacecraft had crossed the ring plane following Saturn orbit insertion. The maximum radial resolution is approximately 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel. The region from the A ring to the F ring spans some 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles). The image has been enhanced to show the presence of faint ring material just beyond the edge of the A ring and in the orbit of Atlas (indicated by the red line in the image on the right). The moon Prometheus (102 kilometers or 63 miles across) can be seen close to the F ring at the lower left of the image. 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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
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Diagnostic Darkness
| Description |
An image of Saturn through the rings. |
| 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.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
September 2, 2005 |
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A Shadowy Figure
| Description |
A Shadowy Figure |
| Full Description |
The "flying saucer" in this image is the small moon Atlas (20 kilometers, 12 miles across), whose shadowy profile reveals its flattened shape. This image looks down onto the outer A ring, and through the Encke and Keeler gaps. Two distinct, thin strands in the F ring are visible here, silhouetted against the planet. Saturn's extended, high-altitude haze is seen near lower right. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 2, 2005, at a distance of approximately 489,000 kilometers (304,000 miles) from Atlas and at a Sun-Atlas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 138 degrees. The image scale is 3 kilometers (2 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 22, 2005 |
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The In-Between Moons
| Description |
The In-Between Moons |
| Full Description |
Cassini looks up from beneath the ringplane to spot Prometheus and Atlas orbiting between Saturn's A and F rings. Prometheus is 102 kilometers (63 miles) across. Atlas is 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. The F ring displays its characteristic clumps, while scientists are watching diligently for signs of tiny, embedded moons. Prometheus is responsible for some of the clumpy structure in the F ring. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 28, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Saturn. The 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 |
September 30, 2005 |
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A Glimpse of Atlas
| Description |
A Glimpse of Atlas |
| Full Description |
Saturn's little moon Atlas orbits Saturn between the outer edge of the A ring and the fascinating, twisted F ring. This image just barely resolves the disk of Atlas, and also shows some of the knotted structure for which the F ring is known. Atlas is 32 kilometers (20 miles) across. The bright outer edge of the A ring is overexposed here, but farther down the image several bright ring features can be seen. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 25, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2.4 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) from Atlas and at a Sun-Atlas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 60 degrees. Resolution in the original image was 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 team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . For additional images visit the Cassini imaging team homepage http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
May 30, 2005 |
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Speck of a Moon
| Description |
This view from Cassini contains not one, but two moons. Tethys is slightly overexposed so that the real target of this image, tiny Atlas, can be seen. |
| Full Description |
This view from Cassini contains not one, but two moons. Tethys is slightly overexposed so that the real target of this image, tiny Atlas, can be seen. Atlas is at image center, just outside the A ring. A couple of faint ringlets are visible in the Encke Gap, right of center. Tethys is 1,071 kilometers (665 miles) wide, Atlas is a mere 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 21, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) from Tethys and 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Atlas. The image scale is 12 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel on Tethys. 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 |
January 25, 2006 |
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Edgy Atlas
| Description |
Edgy Atlas |
| Full Description |
The Cassini spacecraft looks up from beneath the ringplane to spy Atlas hugging the outer edge of the A ring, above center. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 23, 2006, at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across). The image scale is 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel on Atlas. 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 |
April 3, 2006 |
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Small Moons on the Edge
| Description |
Small Moons on the Edge |
| Full Description |
Staring toward the outer edge of Saturn's main rings, the Cassini spacecraft spots Pandora and tiny Atlas. Several clumps are visible in the narrow F ring, as well as multiple dusty strands flanking the F ring core. Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) is seen here outside the F ring, while Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is a mere dim pixel just above the bright outer edge of the A ring. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 19, 2006, using a filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 862 nanometers, and at a distance of approximately 2.6 million kilometers (1.6 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 16 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 HYPERLINK "http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov" http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at HYPERLINK "http://ciclops.org" http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
March 30, 2006 |
|
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 |
|
Mariner 1 Launch
| title |
Mariner 1 Launch |
| date |
07.22.1962 |
| description |
An Atlas-Agena 5 carrying the Mariner 1 spacecraft lifts off from the Cape Kennedy Launch Complex on a mission to Venus. The rocket went off course and was blown up by a range safety officer about 5 minutes into flight. One month later, Mariner 2's launch was successful and it became the first spacecraft to fly past Venus in December 1962. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Brahms Crater
| title |
Brahms Crater |
| date |
03.30.1974 |
| description |
Thirty years ago, NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft made the first of three passes by Mercury, sending back intriguing images of the planet's battered terrain. NASA will launch the world's second probe to Mercury - named MESSENGER - this summer.This image of the crater was taken on the first flyby. Note the central peak. North is up. (Mariner 10, Atlas of Mercury, Fig. 3-2) This crater (98 km diameter) illustrates the narrow hummocky rim facies, radial ridges, and surrounding extensive field of secondary craters. The well-developed interior terraces and central peaks are typical for mercurian craters in this size range. Note that the smaller craters in the foreground (25-km diameter) also are terraced. This image(FDS 80)was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury. The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon. *Image Credi*: NASA |
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Solar and Heliospheric Obser
…
| title |
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Preparations |
| description |
Fully assembled, checked out and fueled for flight, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is ready for encapsulation in its protective payload fairing. Note the protective thermal blankets encasing the spacecraft and the solar arrays stowed at the base. This will wrap up preflight activities in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2). Once encapsulated, SOHO will be transferred to Launch Complex 36B on Cape Canaveral Air Station, where it will be mated to the Atlas IIAS expendable vehicle that will carry it into space on Nov. 23. *Image Credi*: NASA |
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Moons of the Solar System
| title |
Moons of the Solar System |
| description |
All the planetary moons in our solar system are shown here at their correct relative size and true color. Their diversity of size and appearance is testament to the unique and fascinating geologic history that each of these bodies has undergone. Two of the moons are larger than the planet Mercury, and eight of them are larger than Pluto. Earth's Moon is the fifth largest of the set, with a diameter of 3476 kilometers (2160 miles). Most of the moons are thought to have formed from a disk of debris left over from formation of the planet they orbit. However Triton, Neptune's largest moon, and several of the smallest moons, including the moons of Mars, are thought to be captured planetesimals that formed elsewhere in the solar system. Earth's Moon is thought to have formed from the debris ejected from a roughly Mars-sized object colliding with the early Earth, perhaps a unique event in the history of the solar system. The moons are organized on the diagram by the planet they orbit (top to bottom with increasing distance from the Sun) and their position relative to the planet (left to right with increasing distance from the planet). Below is a listing of the names of all the moons and the planets they orbit. Most moons are named for mythological characters associated with the character the planet is named for. While most of the planets are named for Roman characters (with the exceptions of Pluto and Uranus), most of the moon have names from Greek mythology. For example, Phobos and Deimos are the sons of Ares, the Greek version of Mars. Jupiter?s moons are all named for lovers and other close associates of Zeus (Jupiter). Saturn?s moons are named for Titans, the race that included Cronos (Saturn), Zeus? father. Neptune?s moons are named for mythological characters associated with water, and Charon was the ferryman of the dead who brought people to Pluto?s realm. By tradition, the discoverer of a moon gets to name it (now subject to approval by the International Astronomical Union). The son of the discoverer of the first two moons of Uranus (Sir William Herschel) decided to name Uranus? moons not for mythological characters, but instead for the king and queen of fairies in Shakespear?s A Midsummer Night?s Dream . This began a tradition whereby all uranian satellites are named for fairy characters in English drama. To read more about the names of the planets and their satellites, go to the U.S. Geological Survey?s nomenclature guide at http://wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/nomen/append7.html . *Earth* Moon *Mars * Phobos, Deimos *Jupiter* Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, Sinope *Saturn * Pan, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Calypso, Telesto, Dione, Helene, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe *Uranus * Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Puck, Miranda,, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon *Neptune* Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Triton, Nereid *Pluto * Charon *Image Credit*: Image processing by Tim Parker (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Paul Schenk and Robert Herrick (Lunar and Planetary Institute), based on NASA images. |
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Luna 3
| title |
Luna 3 |
| date |
10.04.1959 |
| description |
Luna 3, an automatic interplanetary station, was the third spacecraft successfully launched to the Moon and the first to return images of the lunar far side. The spacecraft returned very indistinct pictures, but, through computer enhancement, a tentative atlas of the lunar farside was produced. These first views of the lunar far side showed mountainous terrain, very different from the near side, and only two dark regions which were named Mare Moscovrae (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Dreams). (Mare Desiderii was later found to be composed of a smaller mare, Mare Ingenii [Sea of Ingenuity] and other dark craters.) *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Mariner 1
| title |
Mariner 1 |
| date |
07.22.1962 |
| description |
This was to be the first Mariner mission. It was intended to perform a Venus flyby. The vehicle was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer 293 seconds after launch at 09:26:16 UT when it veered off course. The booster had performed satisfactorily until an unscheduled yaw-lift (northeast) maneuver was detected by the range safety officer. Faulty application of the guidance commands made steering impossible and were directing the spacecraft towards a crash, possibly in the North Atlantic shipping lanes or in an inhabited area. The destruct command was sent 6 seconds before separation, after which the launch vehicle could not have been destroyed. The radio transponder continued to transmit signals for 64 seconds after the destruct command had been sent. The failure was apparently caused by a combination of two factors. Improper operation of the Atlas airborne beacon equipment resulted in a loss of the rate signal from the vehicle for a prolonged period. The airborne beacon used for obtaining rate data was inoperative for four periods ranging from 1.5 to 61 seconds in duration. Additionally, the Mariner 1 Post Flight Review Board determined that the omission of a hyphen in coded computer instructions in the data-editing program allowed transmission of incorrect guidance signals to the spacecraft. During the periods the airborne beacon was inoperative the omission of the hyphen in the data-editing program caused the computer to incorrectly accept the sweep frequency of the ground receiver as it sought the vehicle beacon signal and combined this data with the tracking data sent to the remaining guidance computation. This caused the computer to swing automatically into a series of unnecessary course corrections with erroneous steering commands which finally threw the spacecraft off course. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Apollo 11 Landing Site
| title |
Apollo 11 Landing Site |
| description |
The landing site was selected in a smooth mare area primarily for reasons of mission safety. This is an Earth-based telescopic view. The arrow points to the landing site in the southern portion of Mare Tranquillitatis. The two large craters near the middle of the lower margin of the photograph are Theophilus and Cyrillus. The rim of Theophilus Crater truncates (cuts across) the rim of Cyrillus Crater, indicating that Theophilus is the younger crater. Ejecta from Theophilus may be present in the vicinity of the Apollo 11 landing site. Craters in the vicinity of the landing site include Moltke (the bright-rayed crater to the lower right of the arrow), Sabine (left of arrow) and Maskelyne (upper right of arrow). *Image Credit*: NASA, U.S. Air Force Photographic Lunar Atlas and Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona |
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Mariner 2
| title |
Mariner 2 |
| description |
Mariner 2 was the world's first successful interplanetary spacecraft. Launched August 27, 1962, on an Atlas-Agena rocket, Mariner 2 passed within about 34,000 kilometers (21,000 miles) of Venus, sending back valuable new information about interplanetary space and the Venusian atmosphere. Mariner 2 recorded the temperature at Venus for the first time, revealing the planet's very hot atmosphere of about 500 degrees Celsius (900 degrees Fahrenheit). The spacecraft's solar wind experiment measured for the first time the density, velocity, composition and variation over time of the solar wind. *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL |
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Antennae
| Title |
Antennae |
| Description |
Atlas Image mosaic, covering 7' x 7' on the sky of the interacting galaxies NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, better known as the Antennae, or Ring Tail galaxies. The two galaxies are engaged in a tug-of-war as they collide. The mutual gravitation between them is working to distort each spiral galaxy's appearance as the two merge. The interaction is evidently impetus for an intense burst of new star formation, as can be seen from the many infrared-bright knots and bright galactic nuclei. Compare the 2MASS view of this system with that obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope in the optical. Many of the same features are seen, although 2MASS is able to peer through much of the dust seen in the galaxies' disks. The galaxy light looks smoother. Also, in the near-infrared the bright knots of star formation are likely highlighted by the light of massive red supergiant stars. The much more extended "tidal tails," which give the Antennae their name, are quite faint in the 2MASS image mosaic. |
| Date |
12.09.1999 |
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