The Turbulent North
March 20, 2008

Diverse cloud forms shift and spin in the far northern reaches of Saturn.

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 752 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (757,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 69 kilometers (43 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

Seeing the C Ring
March 21, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft views the gauzy C ring of Saturn, with the cloud-streaked planet providing a dramatic backdrop.

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 Feb. 5, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (960,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-ring-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 46 degrees. Image scale is about 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

Moons on the Move
March 24, 2008

Titan emerges from behind Saturn, while Tethys streaks into view, in this colorful scene. Saturn's shadow darkens the far arm of the rings near the planet's limb.

Titan is 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) wide; Tethys is 1,071 kilometers (665 miles) wide.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 3 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 Jan. 30, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 77 kilometers (48 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

Grandeur of the Rings
March 25, 2008

From on high, the Cassini spacecraft spies a group of three ring moons in their travels around Saturn.

Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) is seen at top, while Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) hugs the outer edge of the narrow F ring. More difficult to spot is Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across), which is a mere speck in this view. Pan can be seen in the Encke Gap, near center left. (See Expanse of Ice for a labeled Cassini map of the rings.)

The speck seen between the A and F rings at left is a background star.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 40 degrees above the ringplane. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view.

Bright clumps of material in the narrow F ring moved in their orbits between each of the color exposures, creating a chromatic misalignment that provides some sense of the continuous motion in the ring system.

The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 7, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale at the center of the view is 74 kilometers (46 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

Saturn Noir
March 26, 2008

Saturn's luminescent rings provide striking contrasts of light and darkness, as the irregular shape of Janus glides across the foreground. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from less than a degree above the ringplane.

For a closer view of Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) see Superb Janus.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 29, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Janus. 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

Flowing Cloud Bands
March 27, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft observes the swirling features in Saturn's northern cloud bands. Ring-cast shadows darken the planet's northern hemisphere at increasingly lower latitudes.

In late 2004, not long after Cassini arrived in orbit (see Saturn's Blue Cranium), the shadows extended much farther north. Their southerly slide continues as the seasons change on Saturn.

This view is centered on 25 degrees north latitude and was acquired from about 39 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 752 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (716,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 65 kilometers (41 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

Encke Inhabitants
March 28, 2008

Embedded in Saturn's A ring is saucer-shaped Pan. The moon is seen here with two of the diffuse ringlets with which it shares the Encke Gap.

At the top of the scene, the inner edge of the broad gap displays both edge waves and wakes caused by Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across).

The thin strands of the F ring are seen at lower right.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 11 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 12, 2008. The view was acquired 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. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at _http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Twilight Realm
April 1, 2008

Dark shadows are an ever-present part of Saturn's already twilit world, where the Sun's rays are a hundred times more feeble than at Earth.

Here, the rings cast their silhouette upon the planet, which reciprocates with its own shade upon the rings at upper right. The moon Tethys also casts a dark spot onto Saturn's clouds.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 21 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 25, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 728 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 94 kilometers (58 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

Pebble in a Pond
April 2, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft provides a window on the awesome scale of the Saturn system, with the giant planet dominating one of its smaller satellites.

Orbiting here, just outside the main ring system, is Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across).

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 16 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 13, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Janus and 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 10 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel on Janus.

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: Down South
April 3, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft snapped this exquisite, close-up view of Saturn's moon Janus, looking toward the south polar region, on Feb. 20, 2008.

Janus is 181 kilometers (113 miles) across.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 169,000 kilometers (105,000 miles) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 71 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

Following the Clouds
April 4, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft monitors the myriad cloud forms that drift in Saturn's atmosphere, helping scientists gain a better understanding of how energy is transported around, and from within, the planet.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 23 degrees above the ringplane. Saturn's shadow hides the rings at top.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 25, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 94 kilometers (58 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

Scenic Overlook
April 7, 2008

Saturn looms large before the Cassini spacecraft, its blustery cloud bands in restless motion.

This view looks toward Saturn's mid-northern latitudes from about 37 degrees above the ringplane. Ring-cast shadows create dark bands across the planet.

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 752 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (783,000 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

High-phase Rings
April 8, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft captured this dramatic view of the unilluminated side of Saturn's rings seen at a high phase angle.

Phase angle refers to the angle formed by the Sun, the object being viewed (the rings) and the spacecraft. At an angle of zero degrees the Sun is directly behind Cassini; at 180 degrees the Sun is directly in front of the spacecraft.

Many otherwise faint ring features brighten substantially when viewed at high phase. In this image, normally faint regions within the D and inner C rings can be seen extending from lower right toward center.

The many small specks in the image were created by cosmic rays striking the camera's detector.

This view looks toward the rings from about 2 degrees above the ringplane. The planet's shadow darkens the scene at lower right.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 20, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 211,000 kilometers (131,000 miles) from Saturn and at a phase angle of 166 degrees. Image scale on the sky at the distance of Saturn 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

Over the Top
April 9, 2008

Saturn dominates this colorful view, taken from a vantage point high above the rings. From here the Cassini spacecraft can see the rings' far side, where the dark shadow of Saturn abruptly terminates their visibility.

Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) casts its shadow onto the planet's northern latitudes below center.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 27 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 Feb. 26, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 93 kilometers (58 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

Narrow Ice Lanes
April 10, 2008

Faint ringlets abound in this view of Saturn's F and outer A rings. The F ring presents its familiar irregularities near the ring's ansa, or ourtermost edge. At lower right can be seen faint ringlets within the Encke Gap.

The oblong moon Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) is overexposed in this image, due to the long exposure time necessary to see fine detail within the rings.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 1 degree above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 4, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (784,000 miles) from Pandora and at a Sun-Pandora-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 10 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

Odysseus in the Light
April 11, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks down onto high northern latitudes on Tethys, spying the enormous impact basin Odysseus.

Lit terrain seen here is on the anti-Saturn side of Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across). North is towards the top of the image.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 11, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 765,000 kilometers (475,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 97 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

Lighthouse Moon
April 14, 2008

Pan sits nestled in its gap, like a beacon on the far side of Saturn's rings. The especially bright region seen here is the Cassini Division.
This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about a degree above the ringplane. Pan is 26 kilometers (16 miles) across.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 4, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (817,000 miles) from Pan and at a Sun-Pan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 11 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

High Above Mimas
April 15, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks toward the high north on heavily cratered Mimas. The unmistakable Herschel impact crater is seen at lower left.
Lit terrain seen here is on the anti-Saturn side of Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across).

The moon's north pole is up and tilted slightly toward Cassini. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 11, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 795,000 kilometers (494,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 88 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

Ring-Moon Connections
April 16, 2008

This Cassini view features several interesting attributes that show how moons help shape the rings of Saturn.
The embedded moon Daphnis (7 kilometers, or 4.3 miles across) is seen in its narrow gap at lower right. The tiny moon is accompanied by its entourage of edge waves, visible as ripples in the gap's edges.

Right of center, the much broader Encke Gap displays its own edge waves, caused by Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across at its widest point). Also seen are several faint ringlets that inhabit the gap along with Pan.

Just outside, or leftward, of the Encke Gap is a dark, rippling moiré pattern, which occurs when two separate patterns in the rings are superposed on each other but are oriented at different angles to each other. In this case, the moiré pattern is created by interference between wakes caused by a recent passage of Pan and a spiral density wave created by the moon Prometheus. (See Spiral Density Waves for a closer view of a spiral density wave.)

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 4 degrees above the ringplane. The narrow F ring arcs through the scene from lower right toward left.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 4, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 8 kilometers (5 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

how many moons does saturn have? seems like a lot to me. The pics are beautiful by the way, makes you wanna go out there and see it for yourself

Cassini is finding new moons all the time, but at the last count Saturn had 60 moons, 52 of which have been offically named.

wow that's a lot,

Waking the A Ring
April 18, 2008

Curving wakes perturb the edges of the Encke Gap in Saturn's A ring. The culprit in their creation is the flying saucer-shaped moon Pan, shining brightly within the gap.

Ahead of Pan (26 kilometers, or 16 miles across at its widest point) are two narrow ringlets sharing the Encke Gap.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 9 degrees above the ringplane. Saturn's F ring cuts across the lower right corner of the scene.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 5, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.4 million kilometers (889,000 miles) from Pan and at a Sun-Pan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 21 degrees. Image scale is 9 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

Soaring Over Rhea
April 21, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft takes a northern view of Rhea, spying the large Tirawa impact basin left of center.

The moon's noted bright-rayed crater can be seen at bottom. See PIA08148 for a more southerly view of this same region.

Lit terrain seen here is on 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 March 20, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (652,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 74 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

Roche Division
April 22, 2008

Atlas, seen here, is one of the two moons that ply the Roche Division -- the region between Saturn's A and F rings. Prometheus also orbits within this division.

This view looks toward flying-saucer-shaped Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across at its widest point) and the unilluminated side of the rings from about 37 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 9, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (925,000 miles) from Atlas and at a Sun-Atlas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 44 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

Dione: North Polar View
April 23, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks down, almost directly at the north pole of Dione. The feature just left of the terminator at bottom is Janiculum Dorsa, a long, roughly north-south trending ridge.

Lit terrain seen here is on the anti-Saturn and trailing sides of Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across).The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 22, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 650,000 kilometers (404,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 99 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

Pulling Away
April 24, 2008

Prometheus -- lit partly by direct sunlight and partly by saturnshine -- pulls at material in the inner portion of the F ring. Saturnshine is sunlight reflected by the Ringed Planet, which often brightens the night sides of Saturn's moons.

This view looks toward irregularly shaped Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across at its widest point) and the unilluminated 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 10, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (743,000 miles) from Prometheus and at a Sun-Prometheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 59 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

The Light of Night
April 25, 2008

As Cassini spacecraft images often show, the Sun is not the only source of illumination in the Saturn System. The huge, reflective planet also shines upon its moons.

This image was acquired by Cassini two minutes after Dione: North Polar View and looks almost directly at down onto the north pole of Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across). The left side of this image is illuminated by the Sun, and most of the right side is lit by reflected light from Saturn. Several background stars made faint trails across the sky during this long exposure.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 22, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 649,000 kilometers (403,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 99 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

F Ring Informants
April 28, 2008

Ever-changing kinks and wiggles define Saturn's dynamic F ring. The evolution of F-ring features like those seen here are of interest to ring scientists because they reveal a great deal about the processes shaping the ring's structure.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 4 degrees above the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 15, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (821,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 16 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

The Orbiting Fleet
April 29, 2008

A fleet of small moons patrols the outskirts of Saturn's icy rings.

The shepherd moons Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) and Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) are seen respectively interior and exterior to the narrow F ring at lower left.

Janus (181 kilometers, or 113 miles across) appears at center right, and Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) is visible at lower right.

A 2007 movie sequence acquired during a Cassini ringplane crossing (The Great Crossing) presents a similar view, with moons in motion.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 14 degrees above the ringplane. A background star is faintly visible directly between Prometheus and Mimas.

The image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on March 16, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (960,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 97 kilometers (60 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 Escort
April 30, 2008

Pandora loops around Saturn, confining the narrow F ring as it goes. Craters are visible on the moon's surface in this view.

See (Pandora's Color Close-up) for a closer view of Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across).

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 40 degrees above the ringplane. The outer edge of the A ring and its Keeler Gap are at upper right. A background star is seen here, just left of the F ring.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 20, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (786,000 miles) from Pandora and at a Sun-Pandora-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 56 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

Scrambled Edge
May 1, 2008
The outer edge of Saturn's A ring displays intriguing structure in this Cassini spacecraft view.

The scrambled pattern in the outer edge is not unlike the pattern Cassini recently imaged in the outer B-ring edge (see Inspecting the Edge).

As with the B-ring edge, the pattern could represent clumping caused by periodic compression of this ring region.

This scene looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 42 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 23, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 192,000 kilometers (119,000 miles) from the rings. 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

Beauty Marks
May 2, 2008

Two dark spots drift across the northern skies of Saturn. The shadows are cast by the moons Tethys and Mimas.

Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across) orbits farther from Saturn than Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across) and casts the larger of the two shadows here.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 46 degrees above the ringplane.The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on March 30, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (720,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 66 kilometers (41 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

Saturn's Watch Spiral
May 5, 2008

Spiral density waves in Saturn's A ring reveal the gravitational signatures of distant moons as they subtly tug on the countless particles orbiting in the ring plane.

Resulting from a process called orbital resonance, a spiral density wave is a spiral-shaped massing of particles that tightly winds many times around the planet. Thus, the wave patterns seen here represent successive windings of each wave, like a close-up view of a watch spring.

Ring scientists can read these patterns, learning from them how quickly the rings are spreading and the amount of mass contained in a region.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 42 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 1, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 268,000 kilometers (167,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 1 kilometer (0.6 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

Ancient Plains of Rhea
May 6, 2008

Densely cratered plains cover the ancient surface of Saturn's moon Rhea.

Following the Voyager spacecraft encounters with Saturn, cryovolcanism was suggested as a source for the wispy markings on both Rhea and Dione. Cassini has shown that Rhea's bright streaks are, like those on Dione, tectonic features. Planetary scientists now think it is unlikely that cryovolcanic activity has ever occurred on this moon.

This view looks toward the trailing hemisphere 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 April 4, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (735,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 39 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

Dark Boundary
May 7, 2008

Saturn's semitransparent rings arc smoothly around the gas giant, abruptly disappearing where they pass through the planet's shadow.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 18 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 15, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 728 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (907,000 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

Moons that Pass in the Night
May 8, 2008

Two of Saturn's ring moons draw close momentarily, before the inner of the pair moves off alone.

Atlas (30 kilometers, or 19 miles across, at center right) passes Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across, at center left) about once a month, then slowly and steadily pulls ahead of its slower moving sibling.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 23 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 6, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (975,000 miles) from Atlas. 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

South on Rhea
May 9, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft surveys the south polar region of icy Rhea.

This is a similar view to Above Rhea's South Pole. This view is a bit farther south and has slightly different solar illumination.

Cassini flybys have shown that Rhea is not differentiated, or separated into distinct layers; instead, it appears to be a mixture of approximately 75 percent ices and 25 percent rock and metal.

Saturn's second-largest moon, Rhea is 1,528 kilometers (949 miles) wide.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 12, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 345,000 kilometers (214,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 73 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

The Shepherd and Saturn
May 12, 2008
Saturn's brilliant limb shines through the semi-transparent A ring, while the outer F ring shepherd moon hangs against the black sky.

F-ring shepherding moon Pandora (81 kilometers, or 50 miles across), along with the inner shepherd moon Prometheus (see Pulling Away), helps to keep the narrow lanes of the F ring in check.

This view looks 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 April 5, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (814,000 miles) from Pandora. 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

The Shepherd and Saturn
May 13, 2008

The longest-lived continuously monitored electrical storm ever observed on Saturn continues to churn through the tempest-tossed region nicknamed "Storm Alley" because of its preponderance of storm activity.

This image of the storm was taken about five months after it was first detected by Cassini's imaging cameras and the radio and plasma wave science experiment (see Hissing Storm).

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about a degree above the ringplane. The bands of the ring shadows blanket the planet at the top of the scene.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 23, 2008 using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of polarized infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (760,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 70 kilometers (43 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

On the Border
May 14, 2008

The sharp change in brightness that runs diagonally across the center of this image represents the boundary between Saturn's C and B rings.

This location sits at about 92,000 kilometers (57,200 miles) from Saturn.

The B ring (at lower left) appears darker than the C ring from this perspective, above the unilluminated side of the rings, because the more densely populated B ring strongly attenuates sunlight passing through it.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 7, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.4 million kilometers (888,000 miles) from Saturn, and from about 32 degrees above the ringplane. 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

Ringcraft
May 15, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft captures a view showing two of Saturn's moons and their gravitational effects on nearby rings.

At top, Daphnis (8 kilometers, or 5 miles across at its widest point) streaks through the Keeler Gap, with its ever-present edge waves. At center, Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across at its widest point) pulls away from a recent encounter with the F ring. A bright background star is visible below the F ring.

This view looks toward the unilluminated 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 April 8, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (788,000 miles) from Prometheus and at a Sun-Prometheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 53 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

Impact on the Ice
May 16, 2008

The enormous impact basin Odysseus sits on the eastern limb of icy Tethys. This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Tethys (1,062 kilometers, or 660 miles across). North is toward the top of the picture.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 14, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (714,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 26 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

Immense Vortices
May 19, 2008

A trio of large storms embraces in Saturn's high north. The three prominent vortices seen here are each wide enough to span the distance from New York City to Denver, or from London to Moscow.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 30 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 17, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 939 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.4 million kilometers (899,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 83 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

Bird's Eye View
May 20, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft looks down from a high-inclination orbit to spot two of Saturn's ring moons.

Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across at its widest point) leads a train of dark gores in the narrow F ring. Farther from Saturn lies Janus (179 kilometers, or 111 miles across at its widest point), which sits in its own faint ring -- invisible here but clearly seen in Moon-Made Rings.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 62 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 19, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 740,000 kilometers (460,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 41 kilometers (25 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the 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

Revealing Saturn's Colors
May 21, 2008

Stately Saturn sits surrounded by its darkened disk of ice. An increasing range of hues has become visible in the northern hemisphere as spring approaches and the ring shadows slide southward.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 17 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 April 15, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (906,000 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

Atlas and Daphnis
May 22, 2008

Looking upward from beneath the ringplane, the Cassini spacecraft spies Saturn's "wave maker" and "flying saucer" moons.

Daphnis (8 kilometers, or 5 miles across at its widest point) and its gravitationally induced edge waves are seen at left within the Keeler Gap. The equatorial bulge on Atlas (30 kilometers, or 19 miles across at its widest point) is clearly visible here.

See Wavemaker Moon and Saturn's Saucer Moons for additional images and information about these two moons.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 16 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 22, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 898,000 kilometers (558,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is about 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

Atlas and Daphnis
May 23, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft peers through the gossamer strands of Saturn's innermost rings, whose own shadows adorn the planet beyond.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 35 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 21, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 620,000 kilometers (385,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 67 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

The Ringsmith
May 26, 2008

Prometheus tugs icy particles from the F ring into fanciful shapes like ropes of glowing neon.

Although Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across) is overexposed here, the moon's irregular outline is quite easy to see.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 7 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 22, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1 million kilometers (652,000 miles) from Saturn. 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

Deep Clouds
May 27, 2008

Bright puffs and ribbons of cloud drift lazily through Saturn's murky skies. In contrast to the bold red, orange and white clouds of Jupiter, Saturn's clouds are overlain by a thick layer of haze.

The visible cloud tops on Saturn are deeper in its atmosphere due to the planet's cooler temperatures.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 18 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 April 15, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers (906,000 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