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Exploring the Wetlands of Ti
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| Description |
Exploring the Wetlands of Titan |
| Full Description |
Cassini peers through the murky orange haze of Titan to spy what are believed to be bodies of liquid hydrocarbons, two of them as large as seas on Earth, near the moon's north pole. This movie blends a near natural-color view and an infrared glimpse of Titan's surface obtained by the visual cameras, followed by a transition to imagery collected by the radar instrument aboard Cassini, for a dramatic reveal of the north pole of Saturn's largest moon. As the movie zooms in on the north pole, the most readily visible bodies are outlined in blue. The largest of these, on the left, is as big as the Caspian Sea on Earth, the next largest, on the right, is about the size of Lake Superior. When compared to the surface area of Titan however (which is six times smaller than Earth's), these bodies are equivalent in size to the Bay of Bengal and Timor Sea, respectively. Geographically speaking, they are more like seas. The movie continues with a gradual transition to a polar map of the radar imagery taken so far by Cassini of the north polar region. It is clear that one of the radar swaths has intersected a small upper bay of the largest sea, and has almost entirely imaged the second one. The extreme darkness of these regions in the radar data argues strongly for the presence of liquid hydrocarbons, such as methane and ethane, which remain liquid at Titan's frigid temperature of minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 288 degrees Fahrenheit). See Titan (T25) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Feb. 22, 2007. The movie continues with a pan across the pole and the radar imagery that has uncovered a multitude of much smaller lakes. Features of strikingly similar morphology to these dark northern seas and smaller lakes were first discovered in Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem images in June 2005, at Titan's south pole (see Land of Lakes?). The lake-like shoreline of the largest of these, called Ontario Lacus, its size (about the size of Lake Victoria), and its proximity to the south pole where the largest field of clouds yet seen on Titan had been observed, earned it the reputation as the best candidate for a body of liquid hydrocarbons on Titan up until that point, though the case for liquids was weak. When adjusted for the size of Titan, Ontario Lacus is equivalent in size to the Black Sea. Now, by inference, scientists are more confident that it, and the smaller features that dot the south pole, are also likely open bodies of liquid, and in aggregate make up a southern wetlands on Titan, similar to the one observed in the north polar movie. The images used to make this movie were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 25, 2007, at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Titan. The infrared images were taken with a special filter centered at 938 nanometers that provides the cameras' best view of Titan's surface features. This view was then composited with images taken at 619, 568 and 440 nanometers to, create a near natural color appearance. The radar data were acquired in synthetic aperture radar mode. 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 15, 2007 |
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Huygens Landing Site
| Description |
Huygens landing site |
| Full Description |
This image provides a comparison between the Huygens landing site on Titan as viewed by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and the NACO/SDI instrument mounted on the 8-meter Yepun telescope of the VLT (Very Large Telescope) station, in Chile. From the two images it is possible to see a high consistency between the two measurements. The Cassini image - taken in the near-infrared (938 nanometers)- shows the Huygens landing site map wrapped around Titan, rotated to the same position as the January 2005 NACO/SDI observations. The colored lines outline the regions that were imaged by Cassini at different resolutions. The lower-resolution imaging sequences are outlined in blue. Other areas have been specifically targeted to build moderate and high-resolution mosaics of surface features. These include the site where the Huygens probe has touched down on Jan. 14, 2005 (marked with the yellow X), and located at a latitude of 10.3° south and a longitude of 192.32° west (or 167.7° east). The landing site is located on the boundary between the bright region called Adiri and the dark one called Shangri-la. The red color on the NACO/SDI image corresponds to an atmospheric filter at 1.625 micron, while the blue color corresponds to a filter for the surface at 1.600 and 1.575 micron. *Credits:* NASA/JPL/Cassini-ISS/Space Science Institute and ESO/NACO-SDI/VLT |
| Date |
March 5, 2007 |
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Titan 'T28' Mosaic
| Description |
Titan 'T28' Mosaic |
| Full Description |
Bright and dark terrains on Titan's trailing hemisphere are revealed by Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem in this mosaic of images taken during the T28 flyby in April 2007. The region shown in this image, centered on the northern part of Titan's trailing hemisphere (near 31.2 degrees North, 220.7 degrees West), had only been seen at very low resolution until February 2007, when Cassini flew over this area for the first time. This mosaic consists of images taken during one of a series of flybys in early 2007 designed to study this long unavailable part of Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across). Several intriguing surface features can be seen in this mosaic that warrant further study. Along the top of the mosaic is a series of dark lineaments, or linear features, that stand out against the blandness of the northern, mid-latitude terrain. These features were also observed by the RADAR instrument in December 2006 and represent an area of potential future co-analysis for the RADAR and camera teams. Another such region is the large bright area known as Adiri at bottom center, also imaged by RADAR in October 2005. The mosaic shows a number of dark areas within Adiri that line up with small dune fields observed by RADAR. A portion of the dark terrain surrounding Adiri was also observed in 2005 by RADAR, and likewise was found to consist of large stretches of longitudinal dune fields --further supporting the correlation between equatorial dark regions and dune "seas." To the east of Adiri is a dark spot surrounded by a ring of bright material, which may be associated with an impact crater similar to Sinlap, discovered earlier in the Cassini mission (see Titan Mosaic - East of Xanadu). This mosaic consists of 29 separate frames using a total of 116 images. Each frame consists of three images, taken using a filter sensitive to near-infrared light centered at 938 nanometers, allowing for observations of Titan's surface and lower atmosphere, added together. An image taken using a filter sensitive to visible light centered at 619 nanometers was then subtracted from the product, effectively removing the lower atmosphere contribution to the brightness values in the image, increasing image contrast and improving the visibility of surface features. This process is also intended to reduce noise, but some camera artifacts still remain, such as a dark ring caused by dust in the camera system near the bottom right of each frame. For a wide angle view taken during this Titan encounter, see Titan 'T28' View. The images used for this mosaic were taken on April 11, 2007 from distances ranging from 106,000 to 180,000 kilometers (66,000 to 112,000 miles). This mosaic is in an orthographic projection with a pixel scale of 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) per pixel, although the size of resolvable features is likely several times larger, due to atmospheric scattering. An orthographic view is most like the view seen by a distant observer looking through a, telescope. 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 22, 2007 |
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Hyperion's Icy Surface
| Description |
Hyperion's Icy Surface |
| Full Description |
In this ultraviolet image of Hyperion, produced using data taken with Cassini's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph during the September 2005 close flyby, brightness contrasts are due to both topographic and compositional variations across the surface. The brightest regions are exposed water ice in the rim of the crater that dominates the hemisphere in view. This new ultraviolet map (left) is shown next to a previously released image (right) taken by the Imaging Science Subsystem (see Cosmic Blasting Zone). 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 was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The ultraviolet imaging spectrograph was designed and built at, and the team is based at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 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. The ultraviolet imaging spectrograph team home page is at http://lasp.colorado.edu/cassini. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
July 4, 2007 |
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Organics Sprinkled on Hyperi
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| Description |
Organics Sprinkled on Hyperion |
| Full Description |
Hyperion, the eighth largest of Saturn's nearly 60 known moons, is covered in craters and landslides. Sprinkled over the icy surface is a thin layer of organic dust, which has somehow been concentrated in the bottoms of some of the craters, forming a reddish black deposit. This new color map shows the composition of a portion of Hyperion's surface determined with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the Cassini spacecraft. The new composition map is overlaid onto a previously released Cassini image of Hyperion, taken with the Imaging Science Subsystem (see Cosmic Blasting Zone). Blue shows the maximum exposure of frozen water, red denotes carbon dioxide ice ("dry ice"), magenta indicates regions of water plus carbon dioxide, yellow is a mix of carbon dioxide and an unidentified material. Discovered in 1848, Hyperion held its secrets until the Cassini spacecraft flew close in September 2005, revealing its icy and organic composition. Hyperion is irregular in shape, tumbles chaotically, and takes 21 days to orbit Saturn. It is 300 kilometers (180 miles) in its longest dimension. 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 was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer team is based at the University of Arizona. 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. The visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team home page is at: http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/Ames/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
July 4, 2007 |
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Titan (T30) Viewed by Cassin
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| Description |
Titan (T30) Viewed by Cassini's Radar May 12, 2007 |
| Full Description |
This north polar image of Titan was acquired by Cassini's radar instrument on May 12, 2007. Stretching from 69 degrees north, 329 degrees west to 33 degrees north, 227 degrees west, this swath gently curves from west-to-east at the left end to north-to-south at the right. It is more than 2,700 kilometers (1,678 miles) long and varies from 200 to 500 kilometers (124 to 310 miles) in width, covering the southern extreme of a large dark area previously imaged by the Imaging Science Subsystem (see Exploring the Wetlands of Titan). The thin white stripe at immediate left is an artifact related to the instrument's multi-beam operation, throughout the swath there are some near-vertical stripes that are also artifacts. As displayed here, the extreme left end of the image shows the west margin of a dark area interpreted to be a lake of liquid methane and probably ethane, with obvious shore-like features, such as bays, inlets and islands. Radar images show smooth areas as dark, and this lake is among the darkest areas seen so far on Titan. The eastern margin of the lake is similarly complex, and some of the shoreline features seem related to ridges and lower topography on the shore, as if the liquid in the lake has filled lower-lying areas between ridges. Some of these channels drain into the lake, while others go into a slightly brighter, more uniform area that may be connected to the lake just off the lower edge of the image (for more details on this area, see Coasts and Drowned Mountains). Farther to the right, moving southward, a complex region of ridges and channels transitions to more subdued landforms with circular or lobate features, some of which have raised rims. The terrain toward the right of the image is rougher, with topographic depressions that resemble dried lakebeds, lacking the dark material seen in the lakes farther north. Toward the right end of the image, farthest from the north pole, a series of long, low depressions is seen against a relatively dark background. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's 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 was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
August 13, 2007 |
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Warm and Dry on Iapetus
| Description |
T |
| Full Description |
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 composite infrared spectrometer team homepage is http://cirs.gsfc.nasa.gov/. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC/SwRI/SSI, This image compares midday temperatures on Saturn's moon Iapetus, recorded by the composite infrared spectrometer instrument during Cassini's close Sept. 10, 2007 flyby, with images of the same region recorded during the same flyby by the Cassini imaging science subsystem, shown on the right. See The Other Side of Iapetus for full imaging mosaic. Smallest features visible in the composite infrared spectrometer image (on the left) are about 8 kilometers (5 miles) across. The red rectangle on the visible light (right) image shows the region covered by infrared spectrometer, which extends a distance of 385 kilometers (240 miles) from 36 north, 212 west to 22 south, 220 west. The composite infrared spectrometer determined surface temperatures by measuring the spectrum of infrared radiation emitted by Iapetus in the 9 to 16 micron wavelength range. The dark regions are warmer because they absorb more of the sunlight shining on Iapetus, so dark spots in the visible (right) image show up as warm spots in the infrared image on the left. Temperatures near the equator vary between about 128 Kelvin (minus 229 degrees Fahrenheit) in the darkest regions and about 113 Kelvin (minus 256 degrees Fahrenheit) in the brightest regions. This relatively small temperature difference has a large effect on Iapetus, because at the temperature of the dark regions, a large amount of water ice, which is abundant on most moon surfaces in the Saturn system, can be lost by evaporation over the several-billion year age of Iapetus' surface. Composite infrared spectrometer scientists calculate that when daytime temperatures reach 128 Kelvin (minus 229 degrees Fahrenheit), about 20 meters (65 feet) of ice can be lost per billion years. In the bright regions, with peak temperatures of 113 Kelvin (minus 256 degrees Fahrenheit), only about 10 centimeters, or 2.5 inches, of ice is lost in the same period. It is thus likely that the ice has evaporated completely from the surface of the dark regions of Iapetus, darkening them further, and has collected in the neighboring bright regions, making them brighter, thereby exaggerating initially modest brightness variations. This process is known as thermal segregation. Models by the composite infrared spectrometer team also show that ice evaporated from the warm dark terrain at low latitudes can collect at higher latitudes, and can thus explain the bright polar caps on the dark leading side of Iapetus as well as the relatively dark equatorial regions on the bright trailing side. 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 was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The composite infrared spectrometer team is based at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. |
| Date |
October 8, 2007 |
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Two Ultraviolet Views of Iap
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| Description |
Two Ultraviolet Views of Iapetus |
| Full Description |
The far left image shows the bright-dark boundary region on Saturn's moon Iapetus at far-ultraviolet wavelengths, viewed by Cassini's ultraviolet imaging spectrograph on Sept. 10, 2007. These wavelengths represent reflected solar light and indicate where the surface is brightest and highest in water ice abundance. (Red indicates the brightest regions, purple the darkest.) The bright "Voyager Mountains", part of the equatorial ridge, are seen as bright spots against a dark background. The dark material that covers one hemisphere of Iapetus is indicated in purple and is seen on the right side of this image. The middle image is a color composite: blue-green (longer ultraviolet wavelengths) indicates where the surface is bright and probably richest in water ice. Red (short ultraviolet wavelengths) indicates where the surface is low in water ice and relatively high in dirty material. The sky background is also bright at these wavelengths, making the limb, or edge, of Iapetus where the surface is dark indistinguishable from the sky background. The image on the right, taken by the imaging science subsystem, is for reference, with the regions observed by Cassini's ultraviolet imaging spectrometer outlined in red. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's 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 was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The ultraviolet imaging spectrograph was designed and built at, and the team is based at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 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 . The ultraviolet imaging spectrograph team home page is at http://lasp.colorado.edu/cassini . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
October 8, 2007 |
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Map of Titan - October 2007
| Description |
This global digital map of Titan was created using images taken by the Cassini spacecraft imaging science subsystem. |
| Full Description |
This global digital map of Titan was created using images taken by the Cassini spacecraft imaging science subsystem. The images were taken using a filter centered at 938 nanometers, allowing researchers to examine albedo (or inherent brightness) variations across the surface of Titan. Due to the scattering of light by Titan's dense atmosphere, no topographic shading is visible in these images. The map is an equidistant projection and has a scale of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) per pixel. Actual resolution varies greatly across the map, with the best coverage (close to the map scale) near the center and edges of the map and the worst coverage on the trailing hemisphere (centered around 270 degrees west longitude). Imaging coverage in the northern polar region is only just beginning to improve, and will continue to do so over the next couple of years, as Titan approaches vernal equinox in August 2009 and the north pole comes out of shadow. Large, dark and presumably liquid-hydrocarbon-filled seas are becoming visible at high latitudes (see also Exploring the Wetlands of Titan). The mean radius of Titan used for projection of this map is 2,575 kilometers (1,600 miles). Until a control network is created for Titan, the moon is assumed to be spherical. 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 15, 2007 |
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Map of Titan - December 2006
| Description |
Map of Titan - December 2006 |
| Full Description |
This global digital map of Titan was created using data taken by the Cassini spacecraft Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS). The data here consist of images taken using a filter centered at 938 nanometers, allowing researchers to examine albedo (or inherent brightness) variations across the surface of Titan. Due to the scattering of light by Titan's dense atmosphere, no topographic shading is visible in these images. The map is an equidistant projection and has a scale of 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) per pixel. Equidistant projections preserve distances on a body, with some distortion of area and direction. Actual resolution varies greatly across the map, with the best coverage (close to the map scale) near the center and edges of the map and the worst coverage on the trailing hemisphere (centered around 270 degrees west longitude). Coverage should improve in some of the poorly covered areas starting in February 2007, when northern Belet, Adiri, and Dilmun will be imaged. Imaging coverage in the northern polar region, currently blank on this map, will improve over the next few years, as Titan approaches vernal equinox in August 2009. The mean radius of Titan used for projection of this map is 2,575 kilometers (1,600 miles). Until a control network is created for Titan, the satellite is assumed to be spherical. A labeled version of the map is available here. The named features are designated by the International Astronomical Union. (A "facula" on Titan is a bright spot, a "macula" is a dark spot.) This map demonstrates how our knowledge of Titan's surface has been vastly improved since Cassini arrived and began mapping the outsize moon. See Mapping Titan's Surface and Titan's Variety (with Grid) for earlier Cassini maps of Titan. 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 29, 2006 |
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Map of Titan with Labels- De
…
| Description |
This global digital map of Titan was created using data taken by the Cassini spacecraft Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS). |
| Full Description |
This global digital map of Titan was created using data taken by the Cassini spacecraft Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS). The data here consist of images taken using a filter centered at 938 nanometers, allowing researchers to examine albedo (or inherent brightness) variations across the surface of Titan. Due to the scattering of light by Titan's dense atmosphere, no topographic shading is visible in these images. The map is an equidistant projection and has a scale of 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) per pixel. Equidistant projections preserve distances on a body, with some distortion of area and direction. Actual resolution varies greatly across the map, with the best coverage (close to the map scale) near the center and edges of the map and the worst coverage on the trailing hemisphere (centered around 270 degrees west longitude). Coverage should improve in some of the poorly covered areas starting in February 2007, when northern Belet, Adiri, and Dilmun will be imaged. Imaging coverage in the northern polar region, currently blank on this map, will improve over the next few years, as Titan approaches vernal equinox in August 2009. The mean radius of Titan used for projection of this map is 2,575 kilometers (1,600 miles). Until a control network is created for Titan, the satellite is assumed to be spherical. A clean version of the map, as well as a link to higher resolution versions, is available here. The named features are designated by the International Astronomical Union. (A "facula" on Titan is a bright spot, a "macula" is a dark spot.) This map demonstrates how our knowledge of Titan's surface has been vastly improved since Cassini arrived and began mapping the outsize moon. See Mapping Titan's Surface and Titan's Variety (with Grid) for earlier Cassini maps of Titan. 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 29, 2006 |
|
Mimas and the Shepherds
PIA08993
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Mimas and the Shepherds |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The shepherd moons Prometheus and Pandora drive the quirky F ring in its circuit of Saturn, while Mimas lurks in the distance. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 22 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on May 23, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 106 kilometers (66 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 ]. |
|
Mimas Aslant
PIA08991
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Mimas Aslant |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This tilted look at Mimas highlights the many deep craters on the icy moon's trailing side. North on Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) is up and rotated 44 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 12, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 614,000 kilometers (382,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 15 degrees. Image scale is 4 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/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
|
Waving to Janus
PIA08977
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Waving to Janus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Cassini gazes down toward Saturn's unilluminated ringplane to find Janus hugging the outer edge of rings. This view looks toward the rings from about three degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 29, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (900,000 miles) from Janus. Image scale is 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 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 ]. |
|
Janus Floats On
PIA08951
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Janus Floats On |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Janus floats above the meandering clouds of Saturn. A few of the large craters on the moon are just visible. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 18 degrees above the ringplane. Saturn's narrow F ring and outer A ring are pictured in the upper right. Janus is 181 kilometers (113 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 13, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Janus. 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 ]. |
|
Regarding Mimas
PIA08965
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Regarding Mimas |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Beside the swirling face of Saturn floats a small, icy attendant. Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) hovers near its giant parent, beyond the gleaming, sunlit rings. This view looks toward the rings from about 14 degrees below the ringplane. Saturn's shadow darkens the ringplane immediately off the planet's limb. The image was taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 853 nanometers. The view was obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on May 11, 2007 at a distance of approximately 720,000 kilometers (448,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 43 kilometers (27 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 ]. |
|
Mimas in Transit
PIA09018
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Mimas in Transit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A lone moon hurtles past as the Cassini spacecraft stares into the clouds of Saturn. Cassini monitored clouds near Saturn's equator for nearly 20 hours during an important series of observations designed to allow scientists to measure wind speeds and better understand convection in the giant planet's atmosphere. Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) happened to wander across the field of view during these observations. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 28, 2007 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 750 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 3.1 million kilometers (1.9 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 36 kilometers (22 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 ]. |
|
Unveiling Iapetus
PIA09010
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Unveiling Iapetus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
As the Cassini spacecraft sets up for its September 2007 close encounter with the two-toned moon Iapetus, the spacecraft is seeing more of the moon's bright, trailing hemisphere. This is a region Cassini has seen relatively little of until recently. The September encounter will provide high resolution images of this region, including the large crater seen here at about the five o'clock position. North on Iapetus (1,468 kilometers, or 912 miles across) is up and rotated about 5 degrees to the right. The image was taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. The view was acquired with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 3, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Iapetus and at a Sun-Iapetus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 53 degrees. 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 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 ]. |
|
Iapetus by Saturn Shine
PIA06168
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Iapetus by Saturn Shine |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
) this feature appeared as a dark 'moat' and had been hypothesized to be an impact structure. The recent images from Cassini confirm an impact origin for this feature. In contrast, the origin of the dark material is currently unknown and the recent images have sparked exciting debates among Cassini imaging scientists. Some characteristics of the dark region revealed in this and other images taken during the encounter suggest that dark material from elsewhere in the Saturnian system -- perhaps the result of an impact on another nearby moon -- has coated this side of Iapetus with a relatively thin layer. However, an internal origin for the material has not been ruled out and, if correct, may be related to the long equatorial ridge discovered in Cassini images to span Cassini Regio. Regardless of its origins, the dark material appears to lie on top of other geologic features seen on Iapetus thus far, implying that the event which formed the dark coating occurred later in Iapetus' history. A closer encounter with this moon later in the Cassini mission (September 2007) may reveal more detail and help answer the question of the origin and age of the dark material on Iapetus. The image was obtained in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on Dec. 31, 2004, at a distance of about 123,370 kilometers (76,659 miles) from Iapetus. The image scale is 730 meters (2,395 feet) per pixel. The image has been contrast enhanced to aid visibility of surface features. 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 [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. For images visit the Cassini imaging team home page http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]., This almost surreal view of Iapetus was acquired by Cassini about 10 minutes after the spacecraft's closest approach to the icy moon during a close flyby on New Year's Eve 2004. The image shows Iapetus' surface illuminated by reflected light from Saturn (not by the Sun) and is the highest resolution view acquired to date of this part of Iapetus' surface. Compared to the approximately one second exposure times used for imaging Iapetus' sunlit side, this view required a very long exposure time of 82 seconds. Cassini was designed to pivot while moving in order to keep its cameras and other remote sensing instruments pointed 'on target' with great precision. Consequently, despite the large relative speed between Iapetus and the spacecraft during this long exposure -- about 2 kilometers per second or almost 4,500 miles per hour at closest approach -- the image of the moon?s surface is un-smeared (although the background stars are smeared). This image reveals a heavily cratered surface and shows the boundary between Iapetus' bright trailing hemisphere and Cassini Regio -- a large, dark region that covers the leading hemisphere of the moon?s surface. Some of the dark material appears to have collected inside the rim of a large impact structure about 250 kilometers across (155 miles) that lies just beyond the edge of the dark region (seen here near the right of the image). NASA's Voyager images (see PIA02268 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02268 ] |
|
History on Tethys
PIA09723
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
History on Tethys |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft spies four large impact basins on the southern hemisphere of icy Tethys. Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across), like the other airless worlds of the Solar System, wears the record of countless impacts experienced over the eons. Lit terrain seen here is on the leading hemisphere of Tethys. North is up and rotated 15 degrees to the left. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 21, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 452,000 kilometers (281,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 54 degrees. 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/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
|
A Defining Feature
PIA09725
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
A Defining Feature |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Bright, wispy markings cover the trailing hemisphere of Rhea. The features are thought to be similar in nature to the bright, icy canyons seen on Dione (see PIA06162 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06162 ]). North on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, 949 miles across) is up and rotated 17 degrees to the left. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 22, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 42 degrees. 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/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
|
Frosty Scallops
PIA08401
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Frosty Scallops |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The cold, cratered landscape of Saturn's moon Tethys shines in stark relief in this crescent view. Aside from its obvious aesthetic beauty, this particular Cassini mosaic was obtained mainly to understand important details about how the surface of Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across) reflects light at high phase angles (the sun-Tethys-spacecraft viewing angle). The beautiful interplay of light with surface topographic features is an important factor in this regard. The surface is heavily cratered, and at this oblique angle the craters give the surface a highly scalloped appearance. Unlike some high-resolution crescent views of Saturn's moons, this image truly gives Tethys the appearance of being composed of ice and frost. There appear to be numerous sun glints sparkling across the surface. Some of these might be specular (or mirror-like) reflections off of exposed walls of solid ice inside craters, or they might be uniformly large, frosty or icy-particle covered facets of topography that are so oriented as to give exceptionally bright but diffuse reflections. The shadows cast by most craters in the scene are not dark, but rather, they are illuminated by light bouncing off of their sunlit walls and those of other craters. This light, which has been scattered multiple times, makes visible some details along the shadowed walls and floors of craters that would not otherwise be visible in this viewing geometry. This mosaic was assembled from four clear filter, narrow-angle camera images, with low resolution, wide-angle camera data filling a small gap in coverage. The view is an orthographic projection and has a resolution of 211 meters (692 feet) per pixel. An orthographic view is most like the view seen by a distant observer looking through a telescope. North is up. The view was obtained by the Cassini spacecraft on June 29, 2007, from a distance of approximately 38,000 kilometers (24,000 miles) and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 152 degrees. 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 ]. |
|
Moon at Work
PIA08916
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Moon at Work |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Prometheus draws material from the F ring along an invisible thread of gravity. Near lower left is an identical feature the moon created on a previous pass near the ring. Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) is overexposed in this image, which was taken as part of a sequence designed to help refine scientists' understanding of the orbits of Saturn's small moons. This view looks toward the unlit side of the rings from about 41 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 14, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Prometheus. 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 ]. |
|
A Major Hit
PIA08984
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
A Major Hit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft snaps an excellent view of the leading side of Mimas and its distinguishing crater, Herschel. The moon's night side is partly lit by reflected light from Saturn. North on Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) is up and rotated 12 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 9, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.4 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 89 degrees. Image scale is 8 kilometers (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 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 ]. |
|
Three Meddlesome Moons
PIA08985
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Three Meddlesome Moons |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The effects of three of Saturn's ring moons can be spotted in this single narrow-angle camera view. The image has been strongly enhanced to better show the wakes on both sides of the Encke Gap caused by Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across, left of center), as well as a hint of the edge waves in the narrow Keeler Gap caused by Daphnis (7 kilometers, 4.3 miles across, below center). Bright Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across, at right) pulls away from its latest close encounter with the F ring. The aftereffects of its recent passes are visible in the ring's inner edge. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 10 degrees above the ringplane. Saturn's shadow cuts across the rings at the top of the scene. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 5, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Pan. 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 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 ]. |
|
World of Canyons
PIA08998
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
World of Canyons |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Bright lines creep across the face of Dione. The lines are systems of geologically fresh-looking canyons with bright, icy walls. Lit terrain seen here is on the Saturn-facing side of Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across). North on Dione is up and rotated 18 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 18, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.6 million kilometers (1.6 million miles) from Dione. Image scale is about 15 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 ]. |
|
Above Adiri
PIA08995
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Above Adiri |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Within the windswept wastes of Titan's equatorial dune desert lies the 1,700-km (1,050-mi) wide bright region called Adiri, seen here at center. The intrepid Huygens probe landed off the northeastern edge of Adiri in January 2005. This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) -- the side that always faces away from Saturn as the moon orbits. North on Titan is up and rotated 26 degrees to the right. The image was taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 939 nanometers. The view was acquired with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 14, 2007 at a distance of approximately 157,000 kilometers (98,000 miles) from Titan. Image scale is 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 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 ]. |
|
Puzzling Spokes
PIA08983
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Puzzling Spokes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft spies multiple spokes in Saturn's outer B ring. The precise origin and evolution of these transient features continue to provide ring scientists with intriguing puzzles to solve. Most of these spokes are about 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) long, the two near the bottom of the scene are about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) wide. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 8 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 2, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Saturn. 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 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 ]. |
|
On Their Rounds
PIA08994
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
On Their Rounds |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft spies two of the small, irregular moons that patrol the outer edges of Saturn's main rings. Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) hugs the interior of the F ring right of center, while Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) hangs in the foreground below center. Hints of craters can be seen on Janus. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from less than a degree above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 14, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 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 ]. |
|
Nightside Vista
PIA08982
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Nightside Vista |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Graceful giant Saturn poses with a few of the small worlds it holds close. From this viewpoint the Cassini spacecraft can see across the entirety of the planet's shadow on the rings, to where the ringplane emerges once again into sunlight. Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across) shines large and bright near the bottom of the scene. Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) sits outside the F ring, below center. Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles across) is a speck on the far side of the ringplane, immediately to the right of Saturn's limb. Most of the other bright specks near the rings are background stars. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 8 degrees above the ringplane. The image has been brightened to enhance the appearance of the small moons. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 2, 2007 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 918 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 131 kilometers (81 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 ]. |
|
Northern Sights
PIA08987
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Northern Sights |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Incredible swirling details in Saturn's northern clouds can be seen in this dazzling view. Shadows cast by the rings embrace the northern hemisphere. The view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 16 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 10, 2007 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 939 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 72 kilometers (45 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 Dark Ringplane
PIA08997
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Across the Dark Ringplane |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft skims past Saturn's ringplane at a low angle, spotting two ring moons on the far side. Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across) sits within the Encke Gap right of center. Beyond the F ring hovers Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across). This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from less than a degree above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 14, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 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 ]. |
|
Tirawa on the Terminator
PIA08976
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Tirawa on the Terminator |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Rhea sports an immense impact scar on its leading hemisphere, like several other major Saturnian moons. The impact basin, seen above center on the day-night dividing line, or terminator, is named Tirawa, and is about 360 kilometers (220 miles) across. North on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) is up. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 1, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 55 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/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
|
A-Ring Odyssey
PIA08975
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
A-Ring Odyssey |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Immense Saturn is visible through the A ring as Pan coasts along its private corridor. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 24 degrees above the ringplane. Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across) drifts through the Encke Gap (325 kilometers, or 200 miles wide). The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 23, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Pan. 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 ]. |
|
Rhea in Saturnshine
PIA08986
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Rhea in Saturnshine |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The night side of Rhea shines softly in reflected light from Saturn. A similar effect, called Earthshine, can often be seen dimly illuminating the dark side Earth's moon. Background stars make short, dim trails across the black sky. The sunlit terrain on Rhea is so much brighter than the part lit by Saturn that the former is completely overexposed in this view, which took more than 30 seconds to acquire. This view looks toward the leading hemisphere on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). North is up and rotated 28 degrees to the left. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 11, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 364,000 kilometers (226,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 154 degrees. 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 ]. |
|
Above the Fray
PIA08981
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Above the Fray |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Epimetheus floats above Saturn's swirling skies. Beyond Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles across), the narrow F ring appears dark from this vantage point, against the much brighter planet. The three largest gaps in the rings -- the Keeler and Encke Gaps and the Cassini Division -- appear as bright regions in the darkened ringplane. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 7 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 1, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) from Epimetheus. Image scale is 12 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 ]. |
|
Accustomed to Her Face
PIA08970
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Accustomed to Her Face |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
After nearly three years at Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft continues to observe the planet's retinue of icy moons, seeing exciting details with every orbit. Rhea's cratered face attests to its great age, while its bright wisps hint at tectonic activity in the past. This view looks toward the moon's Saturn-facing hemisphere. North on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) is up and rotated about 8 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 11, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 879,000 kilometers (546,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 43 degrees. Image scale is 5 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 ]. |
|
Depth Sounding
PIA08973
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Depth Sounding |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Cassini looks toward northern latitudes on Saturn and out across the ringplane. This infrared view probes clouds beneath the hazes that obscure the planet's depths in natural color views. This image looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 24 degrees above the ringplane. The rings' shadow drapes across the region north of the planet's bright equatorial band. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of light centered at 890 nanometers. The view was acquired on May 24, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 89 kilometers (55 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 ]. |
|
Band Becomes Bright
PIA08974
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Band Becomes Bright |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Ithaca Chasma rips across Tethys from north to south near the center of this view. The moon's western limb is flattened, indicating the rim of the giant impact basin Odysseus. The dark, east-west trending band often observed in this region (see PIA07571 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07571 ]) is just visible here, but its contrast is reversed at these short, ultraviolet wavelengths -- it is bright against the already bright terrain. North on Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across) is up and rotated 24 degrees to the left. This view looks toward the moon's Saturn-facing hemisphere. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 27, 2007 using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of light centered at 298 and 338 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 267,000 kilometers (166,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 13 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometers (5,236 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/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
|
Tracking Pan
PIA08972
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Tracking Pan |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft looks toward the unilluminated side of Saturn's rings to spy on the moon Pan as it cruises through the Encke Gap. This view looks toward the rings from about 13 degrees above the ringplane. At the top of the image lie the dark, outer B ring and the Cassini Division. The narrow F ring is also seen here as a bright thread beyond the A ring. Pan is 26 kilometers (16 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 29, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Pan. 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 ]. |
|
All Craters Great and Small
PIA08967
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
All Craters Great and Small |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft surveys the battered surface of icy Tethys. The great impact basin straddling the terminator is itself overprinted by many smaller impact sites. The view in this image is toward the southern hemisphere on the moon's Saturn-facing side. North on Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across) is up and rotated 7 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 11, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 559,000 kilometers (347,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 60 degrees. 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/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
|
In Shangri-la
PIA08971
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
In Shangri-la |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This view of Titan's surface highlights northwestern Shangri-la -- a large, equatorial dark region revealed by radar observations to be covered in longitudinal dune fields. The bright, circular feature right of center is a potential impact crater -- few of which have been spotted on Titan thus far. North on Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) is up and rotated about 15 degrees to the right. This view was created by combining multiple images taken using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 938 and 619 nanometers. The images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 13, 2007 at a distance of approximately 125,000 kilometers (77,000 miles) from Titan. Image scale is 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) per pixel. Due to scattering of light by Titan's hazy atmosphere, the sizes of surface features that can be resolved are a few times larger than the actual pixel scale. 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 ]. |
|
Weather Without Water
PIA08966
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Weather Without Water |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Bright mid-latitude clouds near the bottom of this view hint at the ongoing cycling of methane on Titan. These cloud streaks are near the same latitude as similar clouds observed above different longitudes on Titan. The view is centered on Titan's trailing hemisphere, over the 1,700 kilometer (1,050 mile) wide bright region known as Adiri. North on Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) is up and rotated 15 degrees to the right. This view was created by combining multiple images taken using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 939 and 742 nanometers The images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on May 13, 2007 at a distance of approximately 104,000 kilometers (65,000 miles) from Titan. Image scale is 12 kilometers (8 miles) per pixel. Due to scattering of light by Titan's hazy atmosphere, the sizes of surface features that can be resolved are a few times larger than the actual pixel scale. 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 ]. |
|
High Altitude Hints
PIA08953
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
High Altitude Hints |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft catches a glimpse of features that reveal important clues about processes occurring in Titan's atmosphere. The north polar stratosphere exhibits a banded appearance, as fast-moving clouds whirl around the giant moon. The moon's halo -- its detached, high-altitude global haze layer -- is faintly visible here as well. Planet-sized Titan is 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) across. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of polarized ultraviolet light. The image was obtained on May 15, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 25 degrees. Image scale is 15 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/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ]. |
|
Entourage
PIA08961
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Entourage |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Saturn's brilliant rings are accompanied here by a pack of small moons. Visible in this view, from lower left to center right are Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across), Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across), Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) and Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across). The narrow F ring lies between the latter two, which are its "shepherd moons." This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 14 degrees above the ringplane. The planet's night side is visible through the rings at left. Saturn's shadow stretches across the ringplane above center. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 29, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 108 kilometers (67 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 ]. |
|
Strange New World
PIA08968
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Strange New World |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Peering through Titan's thick haze, the Cassini spacecraft glimpses boundaries between bright and dark terrain on the moon's trailing hemisphere. The bright terrain at bottom is in northwestern Adiri. North on Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) is up and rotated about 15 degrees to the right. This view was created by combining multiple images taken using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 938 and 619 nanometers. Some processing artifacts remain in the finished image, including the two small, dark circles below and right of center. The images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 13, 2007 at a distance of approximately 237,000 kilometers (147,000 miles) from Titan. Image scale is 3 kilometers (2 miles) per pixel. Due to scattering of light by Titan's hazy atmosphere, the sizes of surface features that can be resolved are a few times larger than the actual pixel scale. 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 ]. |
|
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 ]. |
|
Bright to Dark
PIA08958
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Bright to Dark |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This Cassini spacecraft view shows the interesting north-south asymmetry in Titan's atmosphere, which is thought to be a seasonal effect. North on Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) is up and rotated 30 degrees to the right. The image was taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 889 nanometers. The view was acquired with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 4, 2007 at a distance of approximately 3 million kilometers (1.9 million miles) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 54 degrees. Image scale is 18 kilometers (11 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 ]. |
|
Rhea's Bright Wisps
PIA08962
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
Rhea's Bright Wisps |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Wispy markings reach out across Rhea's surface from its trailing hemisphere. The bright markings appear to be fractures, like those found on Dione. This view looks toward the northern hemisphere on Rhea's trailing side. North on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) is up and rotated about 40 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 1, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 54 degrees. 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 ]. |
|
The Crater Gradient
PIA08956
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem -
…
| Title |
The Crater Gradient |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Cassini spacecraft investigates the craters and deep valleys on Dione during a close approach in April 2007. Significant variations in the density of impact craters on the surface of Dione can be seen here, with more craters seen on the right side of this mosaic (on Dione's sub-Saturn hemisphere) than on the left (on Dione's anti-Saturn hemisphere). The southern end of the bright Palatine Linea fracture system can be seen near the bottom of the mosaic. Along the terminator, at lower left, part of a large impact basin can be seen. The mosaic is an orthographic projection centered at 33 degrees South, 74 degrees West, over the southern part of Dione's leading hemisphere. An orthographic view is most like the view seen by a distant observer looking through a telescope. North on Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across) is up and rotated 6 degrees to the right. The monochrome view uses a combination of images taken with spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of light centered at 338, 568 and 930 nanometers. The images in this mosaic were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 24, 2007 at a distance of approximately 121,000 kilometers (75,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 55 degrees. Image scale is 723 meters (2,371 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/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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