Facing Janus
January 4, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks down toward Janus, which hugs the outer edges of Saturn's rings. Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) orbits Saturn about 11,250 kilometers (6,990 miles) beyond the narrow core of the F ring.
This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 6 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 26, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 31 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Wisp-covered Rhea
January 7, 2008

Wispy markings on Rhea reach across the moon's icy surface. The Tirawa impact basin is seen straddling the terminator at upper right. The crater is about 360 kilometers (220 miles) across.
This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). North is up.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 29, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 37 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Warp Zone
January 8, 2008

A small moon appears from behind giant Saturn, accompanied by a warped view of the rings.
Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) is seen here between the A and F rings. Close to the planet, the image of the rings is slightly distorted by Saturn's upper atmosphere.

This view is similar to Spotting the Shepherd, which features Pandora.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 9 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible red light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 30, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Prometheus. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Rough, Icy Mimas
January 9, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft views the rugged surface of Mimas -- half lit by the Sun, and half lit by reflected light from Saturn. On the sunlit western limb lies the great Herschel impact crater.
The view looks toward a region centered on 50 degrees west longitude on Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across). North is up and rotated 9 degrees to the right.

The image was taken in polarized green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 2, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 625,000 kilometers (388,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 96 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Daphnis and Pan
January 10, 2008

Saturn's two ring-embedded moons are pictured here, along with clearly visible signs of their perturbing effects on the ring edges that border the gaps they inhabit.
These ripples along the ring edges arise when the perturbing moon passes by, creating leading wakes in the faster moving ring material interior to the moon and trailing wakes as it passes the slower moving ring material beyond the moon. Being larger than Daphnis, Pan creates correspondingly larger wakes.

Daphnis (7 kilometers, or 4.3 miles across) is seen in the Keeler Gap at left, and Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across) appears near center in the Encke Gap.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 10 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 1, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (819,000 miles) from Saturn. 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Epimetheus Revealed
January 11, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft's close flyby of Epimetheus in December 2007 returned detailed images of the moon's south polar region.
The view shows what might be the remains of a large impact crater covering most of this face, and which could be responsible for the somewhat flattened shape of the southern part of Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles across) seen previously at much lower resolution.

The image also shows two terrain types: darker, smoother areas, and brighter, slightly more yellowish, fractured terrain. One interpretation of this image is that the darker material evidently moves down slopes, and probably has a lower ice content than the brighter material, which appears more like "bedrock." Nonetheless, materials in both terrains are likely to be rich in water ice.

The images that were used to create this enhanced color view were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 3, 2007. The views were obtained at a distance of approximately 37,400 kilometers (23,000 miles) from Epimetheus and at a Sun-Epimetheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 65 degrees. Image scale is 224 meters (735 feet) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Subtle Kinks
January 14, 2008

The bright, perturbed core of Saturn's F ring displays several kink-like features. The core is flanked by dimmer, smoother ringlets.
This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 12 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 2, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 575,000 kilometers (357,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-ring-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 92 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Over Your Head
January 15, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks toward high northern latitudes on Saturn and the wild cloud forms that swirl there.
The view was taken from about 23 degrees above the ringplane and looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Dec. 17, 2007 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (791,000 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Ring Herders
January 16, 2008

Both of Saturn's F-ring shepherd moons are seen in this Cassini spacecraft view, which also features narrow ringlets in the Encke gap at left.
Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) is captured in the act of creating another dark gore in the F ring's inner edge. Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) is farther around the ring's outer edge at top.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 5 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 6, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel on both moons.

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

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Contrast Across the Shadows
January 17, 2008

Saturn's rings sweep around the planet, throwing their dark shadows onto the northern hemisphere.
The equatorial region is generally brighter than the rest of the planet in Cassini spacecraft views, but the contrast is often striking in monochrome views like this, taken in the infrared part of the spectrum at wavelengths sensitive to methane absorption in the planet's atmosphere. (Compare, for example, Shadowing Saturn and Seeing High in the Sky.)

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 24 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Dec. 17, 2007 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 890 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (668,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 61 kilometers (38 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Atlas Alone
January 18, 2008

A small moon clings to the edge of Saturn's A ring. External to the moon is the thin and contorted F ring.
The flattened shape of Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is just discernible. See Saturn's Saucer Moons for higher resolution views of Atlas.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 9 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 8, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Atlas. 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

North on Rhea
January 21, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks down onto middle northern latitudes on Rhea. The large Tirawa basin is seen on the terminator at right.
Lit terrain seen here is primarily on the trailing side of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). North is up.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 17, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 539,000 kilometers (335,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 79 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Peering Through the Plane
January 22, 2008

Looking down through the A ring and Cassini Division, the Cassini spacecraft sees the bright limb of Saturn. The view shows a portion the rings from the outer B ring, at upper right, to the F ring at bottom.

See Expanse of Ice for a labeled map of Saturn's rings.

The perspective is toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 15 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 12, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 28 kilometers (17 miles) per pixel in the radial, or outward from Saturn, direction; and 13 kilometers (8 miles) per pixel in the longitudinal, or around Saturn, direction.

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

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Rebounded Craters
January 23, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft surveys the southern hemisphere on Dione's anti-Saturn side, spying a broad impact basin near bottom. Most of the medium-sized craters visible here have pointed central peaks, owing to the rebound of material following the craters' initial formation.
North on Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across) is up.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 19, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 240,000 kilometers (149,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 44 degrees. Image scale is 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Pan in View
January 24, 2008

A small ring-embedded moon coasts into view from behind shadow-draped Saturn. The rings' image is distorted near Saturn by the planet's upper atmosphere, to the right of Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across).
This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 8 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 22, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Pan. Image scale is 11 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel on Pan.

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

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Field of Moons
January 28, 2008

A color portrait of Saturn's sunlight-scattering rings hosts a group of several moons.
Enceladus (505 kilometers, or 314 miles across) is visible at top. At bottom, in increasing distance from the rings are Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across), Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) and Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across).

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 10 degrees above the ringplane. Saturn's shadow can be seen on the rings at upper left.

Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this composite color view.

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

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Icy Moonlight
January 29, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft examines the icy, crater-saturated face of Rhea.
This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). North is up.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 21, 2007 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 890,000 kilometers (553,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 16 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

F Ring Knot
January 30, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft captures an intriguing feature in the perturbed core of Saturn's F ring.
The feature is similar in appearance to the one captured in F Ring Dynamism.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 32 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 31, 2007. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-ring-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 63 degrees. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

F Ring Knot
January 31, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft observes the wispy terrain that covers the trailing side of Rhea.
North on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) is up and rotated 27 degrees to the right.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 22, 2007. The view was obtained 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 22 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Coming to Light
February 1, 2008

As seasons change on Saturn, and sunlight creeps farther north, the region surrounding the north pole is steadily coming to light.
This scene reveals many features in Saturn's dynamic and beautiful atmosphere, including a detail largely obscured from the imaging cameras until now. On the terminator at center right is part of the polar hexagon, which was previously observed by Cassini's Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) and Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS). These instruments used heat radiated from Saturn to observe the polar hexagon (rather than reflected sunlight, as is the case in this view). The hexagon was first imaged by the Voyager spacecraft more than 25 years ago.

The view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 38 degrees above the ringplane and is centered on a region 63 degrees north of the Saturnian equator. The image has been brightened to show details at high northern latitudes, where solar illumination is presently weak.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 2, 2008 using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of polarized infrared light centered at 752 and 705 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 930,000 kilometers (578,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 52 kilometers (32 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Flickering Antares

February 4, 2008

A point of light flickers behind Saturn's rings as multiple instruments on the Cassini spacecraft observe a stellar occultation of Antares (or alpha Scorpii).
Such observations are designed to understand the fine-scale structure of the rings. Scientists look at variations in the observed brightness of the star (whose actual brightness is well known) to determine the opacity of the rings in different places.

Among other things, Cassini's prior stellar occultations have been used to examine density and bending waves induced in the A ring by Saturn's various moons.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 34 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 3, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 541,000 kilometers (336,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 4 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Battered Dione
February 6, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks down over high northern latitudes on Dione.
The view captures terrain stretching from about 30 degrees south latitude to about 65 degrees north latitude on the moon's Saturn-facing side. Cassini obtained this view from a position 48 degrees above the equator of Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across). North is up.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 3, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 129,000 kilometers (80,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 87 degrees. Image scale is 767 meters (0.5 mile) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Probing the North
February 7, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft probes Saturn's atmosphere, peering beneath the hazes that obscure the flowing cloud bands at visible wavelengths. Brighter areas in this view generally represent features higher in the atmosphere than darker areas. (The dark region at far right is, of course, on the planet's night side.)
This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings and was acquired from about 38 degrees above the ringplane. It was taken a few minutes after Coming to Light.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 2, 2008 using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of polarized infrared light centered at 728 and 705 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 929,000 kilometers (577,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 52 kilometers (32 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Cracked-up Dione
February 8, 2008

Bright, icy canyons stretch across the surface of Dione.
This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across). North is up and rotated 23 degrees to the right. This is a more distant and more southerly view of the terrain seen in Battered Dione.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 4, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 306,000 kilometers (190,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 38 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Gravity of the Situation
February 11, 2008

Two dark gores in Saturn's F ring demonstrate the gravitational influence of the shepherd moon Prometheus.
The older gore at the top of this view is at a steeper angle than the newer addition just above and to the left of Prometheus, since the former has sheared out over the course of an orbit: particles on the inner (right) side of the F ring travel faster in the same amount of time than the particles on the outer (left) side, leaving the outer particles behind. Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) is lit at left by direct sunlight and at right by reflected light from Saturn. The bright, sunlit portion of the moon is overexposed.

Two background stars are captured above Prometheus in this view, which looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 33 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 1, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (956,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 62 degrees. 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

The Triad of Tethys
February 12, 2008

This view of Tethys displays three of the moon's most notable surface features. At upper left is the giant Odysseus impact basin. At lower right is the great scar of Ithaca Chasma. Extending from east to west across the moon is the great swath of terrain that appears slightly darker than the rest of the moon's surface.

See Dark Belt of Tethys for a different view of the dark belt.

This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across) from 33 degrees above the equator. North is up.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 14, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (715,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 70 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Ring Rocks
February 13, 2008

From about a degree above the unilluminated side of Saturn's ringplane, the Cassini spacecraft spies two of the small moons that skirt the edges of the planet's rings.
Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is seen at center right between the A and F rings. Epimetheus (116 kilometers, or 72 miles across) appears exterior to the F ring, above center right.

The group of little, irregularly shaped, icy bodies that hug the rings -- so much smaller than the great icy moons like Tethys, Enceladus, etc. -- is sometimes referred to as the "ring rocks."

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 17, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 930 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Epimetheus and 1.2 million kilometers (760,000 miles) from Atlas. Image scale is 8 kilometers (5 miles) per pixel on Epimetheus and 7 kilometers (4 miles) on Atlas
.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Above the Storms
February 13, 2008

Great circular vortices churn through Saturn's northern skies. The planet wears the shadow of its rings as a dark belt.
Just above that belt is the shadow of 181-kilometer (113-mile) wide Janus.

This view was acquired from 38 degrees above the Saturn's equator.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 13, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (746,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 68 kilometers (42 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Dione Below
February 15, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks down from high latitude over Dione and the system of wispy fractures that coats the moon's trailing side.
This view looks toward Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across) from 43 degrees above the equator. North is up.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 14, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 938,000 kilometers (583,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 54 degrees. Image scale is 6 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel
.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Herschel on the Edge
February 18, 2008

Beyond the expanse of the rings sits Saturn's innermost large moon, Mimas. The rim of the large crater Herschel is visible as a flattening of the moon's leading side, at left.
The view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 6 degrees above the ringplane. Mimas is 397 kilometers (247 miles) across.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 18, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (989,000 miles) from Mimas. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Epimetheus in the Way
February 19, 2008

As the Cassini spacecraft studies the rings, an icy interloper happens past. At the top of the image, between the spacecraft and the rings, is Epimetheus.
The darker region extending from center right is within the C ring. Surrounding it are the B ring, Cassini Division and A ring.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 2 degrees below the ringplane. Epimetheus is 116 kilometers (72 miles) across.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 17, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (707,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 6 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

The Rays of Rhea
February 20, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft views Rhea and the bright, rayed crater that is likely one of the younger features on the moon's surface. The impact excavated fresh material from beneath the ground, which spread out in this pattern as it fell back to Rhea.
This view, centered on 12 degrees south latitude, 133 degrees west longitude, predominately encompasses the anti-Saturn side on Rhea's leading hemisphere. North is up and rotated 28 degrees to the right. Icy Rhea is 1,528 kilometers (949 miles) across.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 17, 2008 using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of polarized green light centered at 617 and 568 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 538,000 kilometers (334,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 9 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Hiding Dione
February 21, 2008

Saturn's rings slice across this scene, obscuring the cracked face of Dione.
The contrast between the dark terrain on Dione's (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across) trailing side and the brighter terrain on its leading side is particularly obvious here.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from less than a degree below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 17, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (970,000 miles) from Dione. 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

A True 'Ring Moon'
February 22, 2008

Janus skirts the edges of Saturn's main rings. The Cassini spacecraft has shown that this small moon and its co-orbital companion, Epimetheus, also share their orbit with a diffuse ring of fine particles.
See The Janus/Epimetheus Ring for more information about the Janus-Epimetheus ring.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 11 degrees above the ringplane. Above Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across), at upper left, are the narrow F ring and the outer part of the A ring.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 19, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (940,000 miles) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 21 degrees. 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Background Planet
February 25, 2008

Rhea drifts in front of Saturn. The battered, icy moon is seen here near the western limb of the planet's northern hemisphere.
This image was taken eight hours after The Rays of Rhea. The view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). North is up.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 17, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 576,000 kilometers (358,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 12 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Pan in the Fast Lane
February 26, 2008

Two of Saturn's ring moons are captured in this Cassini spacecraft view, along with the signature of another. This image was taken not long after Prometheus passed, leaving a trail of dark gores in the inner edge of the F ring.

Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across) orbits Saturn about 4,090 kilometers (2,540 miles) closer than Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across), meaning that Pan orbits faster, always overtaking its slower moving sibling.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 25 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 23, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from both moons. Image scale is 11 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Stepping Stone to Dione
February 28, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft captures Janus in the foreground, with Dione in the distance beyond.

The image was taken two hours after Hiding Dione, in which Cassini imaged Dione beyond the rings.

Janus is 181 kilometers (113 miles) across. Dione is 1,126 kilometers (700 miles) across. North on the moons is up.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 17, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (766,000 miles) from Janus and 1.6 million kilometers (970,000 miles) from Dione. Image scale is 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel on Janus and 9 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel on Dione.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Trailing Prometheus
February 29, 2008

Saturn's F ring displays magnificent structure following the passage of Prometheus. Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is seen between the A and F rings, above center.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 28 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 23, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 41 degrees. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Janus in View
March 3, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft spots the irregularly shaped icy moon Janus as it swings around Saturn.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 8 degrees above the ringplane. Janus is 181 kilometers (113 miles) across.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 19, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (994,000 miles) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 18 degrees. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Among the Waves
March 4, 2008

Daphnis and its entourage of edge waves are captured here by the Cassini spacecraft.

The wave pattern caused by Daphnis in the edges of the Keeler Gap can be likened to a standing ripple in a flowing stream -- the ripple, perhaps caused by a submerged stone, persists even though water particles are moving through it and onward downstream. Often, just downstream of the initial ripple, there are subsequent smaller waves as the water particles bob up and down before settling once more into smooth flow downstream.

Relating this analogy to the Keeler Gap edge waves, Daphnis is the stone causing the ripple -- delivering an initial gravitational kick to particles as they slowly pass by.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 45 degrees below the ringplane. Daphnis is 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) across.

The image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 28, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 370,000 kilometers (230,000 miles) from Daphnis and at a Sun-Daphnis-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 95 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Scattered Sunlight
March 5, 2008

Sunlight scatters through Saturn's rings, emerging on the unilluminated side. Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across, lower right) and Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across, upper left) are visible here, respectively internal and external to the narrow F ring.

This view looks toward the rings from about 17 degrees above the ringplane. The planet's shadow darkens the rings near upper left.

The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 20, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 103 kilometers (64 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Orbit Quest
March 6, 2008

Prometheus shines brightly in this image, taken as part of the ongoing campaign to precisely determine the orbits of Saturn's small moons.

Moons are usually quite bright in this type of observation, due to the long exposure times employed. Long exposures are required in order to gather enough light so that dim, 12th (or even 13th or 14th) magnitude stars are visible in the background, making it possible to determine where the Cassini spacecraft is pointed on the sky with great accuracy. Imaging scientists are then able to precisely determine the position of the moon's center, thus refining their understanding of the moon's orbit and any changes to it over time due to perturbations by other moons.

Two stars can be seen in this view: one to the right of Prometheus and one near lower left.

Exterior to Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) is the F ring, with its inner and outer flanking ringlets and a streamer channel created by the moon. The outer A ring is seen at top.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 21 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 22, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.7 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Prometheus and at a Sun-Prometheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 34 degrees. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Confining Moons
March 7, 2008

Saturn's shepherd moons gravitationally herd the F ring's particles into a narrow thread.

The structure seen in the inner edge of the F ring in this wide-angle view is similar to that seen in the narrow-angle view Pan in the Fast Lane. Here, Prometheus is inside the ring's inner edge.

Along with Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) and Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across), two background stars are visible in the image. One of the stars is seen in the middle of the F ring.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 45 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jan. 26, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 749,000 kilometers (465,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 45 kilometers (28 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Shadowy Veil
March 10, 2008

Saturn's southern hemisphere is glimpsed through the gossamer veil of its rings. Ring shadows adorn the low northern latitudes.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 22 degrees above the ringplane. 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 wide-angle camera on Dec. 16, 2007 at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (908,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 84 kilometers (52 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Inspecting the Edge
March 11, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft stares at the Huygens Gap -- the region between Saturn''s outer B ring and the ringlets of the prominent Cassini Division -- in this high-resolution view.

Ring scientists think that the scrambled pattern seen here in the B ring''s outer edge might represent gravitational clumping of particles there -- that is, the self-gravity of groups of particles orbiting together makes them form clumps.

The outer B ring edge (at left) is maintained by a resonance with the moon Mimas.

The clumping feature may be due to the fact that this region is compressed periodically, owing to perturbations by Mimas. Cassini will take additional images of this region as researchers continue to investigate the interesting feature.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 43 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 28, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 246,000 kilometers (153,000 miles) above the rings and at a Sun-ring-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 84 degrees. Image scale is about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit _http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Titan Slips Away
March 12, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft captured this color portrait of Saturn and Titan only a few minutes before the haze-enshrouded moon slipped behind the planet's enormous bulk. The view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 5 degrees below the ringplane.

The northern hemisphere of Titan (5,150 kilometers, 3,200 miles across) presently appears darker than the south, a feature presumed to be a seasonal effect.

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 wide-angle camera on Jan. 29, 2008 at a distance of approximately 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Titan and 1 million kilometers (630,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 135 kilometers (84 miles) per pixel on Titan and 61 kilometers (38 miles) per pixel on Saturn.

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

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Maxwell's Namesake
March 13, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft examines the Maxwell Gap -- the large, dark division at center -- which is surrounded on either side by the broad, isolated and bright ring regions, or "plateaus," of Saturn's outer C ring.

See Expanse of Ice for a labeled Cassini map of the rings.

The gap is named for James Clerk Maxwell, the famous Scottish physicist who showed that Saturn's rings must consist of countless individual particles, rather than solid, concentric ringlets.

Prometheus (102 kilometers, 63 miles across) wanders past at the bottom of this scene, which looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 2 degrees below the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 29, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (697,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale at the center of the scene is about 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel in the radial, or outward from Saturn, direction.

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

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

High Cloud, Low Cloud
March 17, 2008

Shadows cast by Saturn's rings separate the planet's bright equatorial band from the darker northern latitudes.

This view makes use of a spectral filter sensitive to absorption of certain wavelengths of light by methane in Saturn's atmosphere. In the north, the light at these wavelengths reaches slightly greater depth before being reflected off the cloud tops, compared to the equatorial region -- and it passes through more light-absorbing methane along the way.

The innermost rings arc across the lower left corner.

The view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 37 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 18, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 890 nanometers.

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