Dual Vortices
July 31, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft peers into the clouds of Saturn to spy dual whirling vortices. The view is centered on a region 33 degrees north of the planet's equator.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 20, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 750 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (777,000 miles) from Saturn. 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

Cold Sunshine
August 1, 2008

Weak sunlight illuminates Saturn's large, icy moon Tethys and its giant crater Odysseus.

At the orbit of Saturn the Sun's light is between 80 and 100 times fainter than at Earth, depending on where the planet is in its eccentric (out of round) orbit, making high noon on Tethys like twilight on Earth.

This view looks toward the northern hemisphere of Tethys (1,062 kilometers, or 660 miles across) on the moon's anti-Saturn side. North is up and rotated 10 degrees to the right.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 21, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 770,000 kilometers (479,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 50 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

Dance of the Clouds
August 4, 2008

Myriad dark vortices, some large and some small, twirl in the high southern latitudes of Saturn. At left, the south polar vortex spins at the center of it all.

This view looks toward the planet's southern hemisphere from about 47 degrees below the equator. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 23, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 939 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 468,000 kilometers (291,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 25 kilometers (15 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

Simply breath-taking.

Cloudflow
August 5, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft observes wispy whorls and streams of clouds as they flow across the face of Saturn. A line of vortices churns across the top of the scene.

This image was taken just over an hour after Dual Vortices and shows a region slightly to the southwest of the earlier view. The circular vortex seen at right in the earlier view appears in the top right corner here.

Contrast in this image was strongly enhanced.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 20, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 750 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (775,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixell.

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's Bright Streaks
August 6, 2008

Bright fractures adorn the trailing side of Saturn's moon Dione.

This view looks toward the northern hemisphere of Dione (1,123 kilometers, or 698 miles across). North is toward the top of the image.

The image was taken in visible red light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 29, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 810,000 kilometers (503,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 60 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

Limb Scan
August 7, 2008

This bizarre scene shows the cloud-streaked limb of Saturn in front of the planet's B ring. The ring's image is warped near the limb by the diffuse gas in Saturn's upper atmosphere.

For additional examples of this effect, see Warp Zone, Funhouse Atmosphere and Bending the Rings.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 31 degrees below the ringplane. North on Saturn is up.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 24, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 750 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 657,000 kilometers (408,000 miles) from Saturn. 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

Against a Hail of Stars
August 8, 2008

Tethys appears here, against a background of star trails, in a view acquired as the icy moon exited Saturn's shadow. Tethys is illuminated in this view by two main sources: reflected "ringshine" and refracted sunlight passing through the edge of Saturn's atmosphere.

An observer viewing Saturn from the moon's surface would see the planet's southern hemisphere aglow with dimly reflected sunlight bouncing off the rings, called ringshine. They would also witness the beginning of an orbital sunrise.

The Cassini spacecraft shared a similar perspective when it acquired the images for In Saturn's Shadow (the principal difference being that Tethys is nearly in the ringplane and Cassini was 15 degrees above the ringplane when it acquired the images for the color mosaic.)

A long exposure time was required in order to image Tethys while it was in shadow, resulting in the stars' normally point-like images being smeared into streaks.

The view looks toward the northern hemisphere of Tethys (1,062 kilometers, or 660 miles across) from 36 degrees above the moon's equator. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 30, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 263,000 kilometers (163,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 52 degrees. Image scale is 16 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel.

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

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

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Beneath the Haze
August 11, 2008

Swirling clouds drift like phantoms in Saturn's murky depths.

The camera filter used for this image captures light at wavelengths where atmospheric gases like methane are fairly transparent, allowing for detailed views of deep cloud features.

Other filters (see High Cloud, Low Cloud) use light that is strongly absorbed by methane gas; the light bounces off the high clouds, making them visible, but gets absorbed before it reaches the low clouds. The use of such filters allows Cassini's cameras to probe Saturn's atmosphere at different depths.

The view looks toward a region 22 degrees north of Saturn's equator. North is up.The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 20, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 750 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (774,000 miles) from Saturn. 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

Reshaping the Craters
August 12, 2008

Craters on Enceladus tend to be modified by a couple of different processes that are visible in this view.

Most crater rims on this icy surface appear to have softened, or "relaxed," shapes compared to the initial, sharp edges they likely possessed when first formed by impacts. Additionally, systems of tectonic folds and fractures cut through craters, like those at top center, repaving the more ancient, cratered surface.

One of the largest of these systems is Samarkand Sulci, which stretches from lower right toward upper left in this view.

The view looks toward terrain near the north pole of Enceladus (504 kilometers, or 313 miles across) from 48 degrees above the moon's equator. Lit terrain seen here is on the moon's Saturn-facing side. North is up and rotated 16 degrees to the left.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 30, 2008 using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of polarized green light centered at 617 and 568 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 161,000 kilometers (100,000 miles) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 85 degrees. Image scale is 962 meters (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

These are great pictures, keep 'em comin'.

Scattered Sunshine
August 13, 2008

Saturn's icy rings shine in scattered sunlight in this view, which looks toward the unilluminated northern side of the rings from about 15 degrees above the ringplane.

The Sun currently illuminates the rings from the south. Some of the sunlight not reflected from the rings' southern face is scattered through the countless particles, setting the rings aglow.

The inner F-ring shepherd moon Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across at its widest point) appears at lower left.

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 in several places that provides some sense of the continuous motion within the ring system.

The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 4, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (770,000 miles) from Saturn. The Sun-ring-spacecraft, or phase, angle was 28 degrees. Image scale is 70 kilometers (44 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

Profile of Janus
August 14, 2008

This shadowy scene is one of the Cassini spacecraft's closest views of Saturn's moon Janus.

The slopes of some craters here display hints of the darker material better seen on Epimetheus in Epimetheus Revealed. A bright linear feature runs up the wall of the large crater at bottom center.

The view looks toward southern latitudes on Janus (179 kilometers, or 111 miles across). North is toward the top of the image and rotated 58 degrees to the right.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 30, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 33,000 kilometers (21,000 miles) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 120 degrees. Image scale is 200 meters (656 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

F Ring Channels
August 15, 2008

A train of diagonal channels in Saturn's F ring follows behind the moon Prometheus. Each of these features was created during a previous close approach of Prometheus to the ring.

When the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit of the planet, it strays close to (and often into) the F ring. The resulting gravitational disturbance leaves behind the channels seen here.

Atlas (30 kilometers, or 19 miles across at its widest point) appears at lower right.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 27 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 5, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (675,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 34 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

Angles in the Atmosphere
August 18, 2008

In the low light near Saturn's north pole, the Cassini spacecraft captures a partial view of the planet's unique hexagonal feature. One side and two corners of the hexagon are seen at center.

Saturn's north polar hexagon was fully imaged in thermal infrared by Cassini in Oct. 2006 (see Saturn's Active North Pole).

The imaging cameras will see progressively more of the feature as solar illumination creeps northward with the onset of spring in the northern hemisphere.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 13, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 748,000 kilometers (465,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 41 kilometers (26 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

Like Spokes of Old
August 19, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft spots a couple of large, wedge-shaped spokes in Saturn's B ring.

These spokes are similar in appearance to those seen by the Voyager spacecraft (see Saturn's rings - high resolution).

Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across) can be spotted interior to the narrow F ring at left. Pan (28 kilometers, or 17 miles across at its widest point) is barely visible within the Encke Gap, below center.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 26 degrees below the ringplane. Pan has been brightened in this image for better visibility. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 8, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 749,000 kilometers (465,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 31 degrees. Image scale is 41 kilometers (26 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

Rhea Before the Eclipse
August 20, 2008
The Cassini spacecraft acquired this detailed view of Rhea just before the moon slipped into an eclipse by Saturn's shadow.

During the eclipse, the wide-angle camera acquired support observations for Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument. Such images help confirm CIRS' pointing on the sky as that instrument observed Rhea's infrared radiation in the absence of solar illumination.

This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). North is toward the top of the image and rotated 23 degrees to the left.

The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 14, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 506,000 kilometers (315,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 32 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

Structure in the Spiral
August 21, 2008

This high-resolution view shows incredible detail within a spiral density wave within Saturn's A ring.

A spiral density wave is a spiral-shaped massing of particles that tightly winds many times around the planet. These waves decrease in wavelength with increasing distance from the planet.

The wave that covers a broad strip across the center of the image is created by a gravitational resonance with the moon Janus. For every sixth orbit of the ring particles at this radius from Saturn, Janus makes five orbits, meaning that the moon is continually providing a gravitational kick to particles in this region of the rings.

A couple of the peaks in the broad Janus-created wave appear bunched together, possibly owing to Janus' orbit being changed when it swaps places with its co-orbital moon Epimetheus (see The Dancing Moons).

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 34 degrees below the ringplane.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 21, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 170,000 kilometers (106,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 669 meters (2,194 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

F Ring in Between
August 22, 2008

Two ring moons sweep through the scene as Cassini focuses on Saturn's intriguing F ring.

Daphnis (8 kilometers, or 5 miles across) is seen at right with its edge waves in the Keeler Gap. Pandora (81 kilometers, or 50 miles across) appears at left.

This image is part of a movie sequence designed to observe the appearance of the F ring and its faint flanking ringlets. As such, the exposure was not optimized to image Pandora, therefore the moon is overexposed.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 22 degrees above the ringplane.The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 5, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (718,000 miles) from Saturn. 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

Out of Darkness
August 25, 2008

Saturn's rings burst out of shadow and curve gracefully around the planet. Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across at its widest point) appears as a bright speck touching the inside of the narrow F ring. Atlas (30 kilometers, 19 miles across at its widest point) is also visible, faintly, upward and to the left of Prometheus, just outside the A ring edge.

Saturn's shadow cuts across the rings at top right.

Several dark, narrow spokes are faintly visible near the B-ring ansa, left of center.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 13 degrees above the ringplane. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 4, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (775,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 71 kilometers (44 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 Janus
August 26, 2008

On a high-inclination orbit of Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft gazes down at the north polar region of Janus.

This view looks toward Janus (179 kilometers, or 111 miles across) from a perspective 72 degrees north of the moon's equator. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 14, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 259,000 kilometers (161,000 miles) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 78 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometers (5,085 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

Feeling Gravity's Pull
August 27, 2008

Brilliant Prometheus pulls at the nearby inner strand of Saturn's F ring. Gravitational tugs from Prometheus are constantly reshaping this narrow ring.

Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across at its widest point) is lit at right by the Sun and at left by reflected light from Saturn.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 40 degrees below the ringplane. The glow on the right side of the moon is due to light scattered within the camera optics. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 22, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 546,000 kilometers (339,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 45 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

Keep It Rolling
August 28, 2008

A line of vortices rolls through the turbulent region on Saturn nicknamed "Storm Alley" by Cassini scientists. This latitude band, centered around 35 degrees south, has displayed persistent, intensive storm activity since Cassini began its approach to Saturn in early 2004.

Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 23, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1 million kilometers (622,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 56 kilometers (35 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

Beyond the Canyons
August 29, 2008

Bright, wispy-looking fractures reach across the rugged, icy landscape of Dione.

See Highest Resolution View of Dione for a close-up view of Dione's icy canyons.

The medium-sized crater Dido, with its prominent central peak, sits just right of the terminator, below center.

This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Dione (1,123 kilometers, or 698 miles across). North is toward the top and rotated six degrees to the left.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 21, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 290,000 kilometers (180,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 89 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

Far from Titan
September 1, 2008

In the distance beyond Saturn's icy rings, the Cassini spacecraft glimpses faint details on the surface of Titan. In the foreground, the B ring displays several dark spokes.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 5 degrees below the ringplane.

Titan is 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) across.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on July 23, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 853 nanometers. Light at these wavelengths is able to reach the surface and escape back into space without being completely scattered by Titan's hazy atmosphere.

The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (698,000 miles) from Saturn and 2.4 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) from Titan. Image scale on the rings (in the radial, or outward from Saturn, direction) is 67 kilometers (39 miles) per pixel. Image scale is 142 kilometers (88 miles) per pixel on Titan.

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

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

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Ancient Rift
September 2, 2008

Powerful forces ripped apart the surface of Tethys at some time in the deep past, creating the incredible canyon system of Ithaca Chasma. This view shows nearly the full extent of Ithaca Chasma, which slices across more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of the moon's icy surface.

The canyons are peppered with many impact craters, which obliterate the older tectonic features and attest to the rift's great age. (See Steep Scarps for a close-up view of a section of Ithaca Chasma.)

This view is centered on 30 degrees north latitude, 350 degrees west longitude, on the Saturn-facing side of Tethys (1,062 kilometers, or 660 miles across). North is toward the top and rotated 9 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 28, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 163,000 kilometers (101,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 36 degrees. Image scale is 971 meters (3,186 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

Opening a Channel
September 3, 2008

As Prometheus pulls away from an encounter with Saturn's F ring, its immediate effects on the ring material are clear. The moon has pulled toward it a faint streamer of material from the inner, flanking ringlet and even created a modest bulge in the ring's bright core.

Above the moon in this image is the feature created during the previous passage of Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across). The older streamer feature has sheared diagonally over the course of an orbit, becoming a dark channel. This too is the fate of the newly created streamer.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 14 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 6, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1 million kilometers (635,000 miles) from Prometheus and at a Sun-Prometheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 32 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

Southern Face of Tethys
September 4, 2008

Five hours after acquiring Ancient Rift, the Cassini spacecraft turned its cameras back to Tethys for a more southerly view. The southern reaches of Ithaca Chasma are seen here, along with the large crater Telemus just right of center.

Lit terrain seen here is on the Saturn-facing side of Tethys (1,062 kilometers, or 660 miles across). The view looks toward the southern hemisphere from a perspective 43 degrees south of the moon's equator. North is toward the top and rotated 30 degrees to the right.

The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 28, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 313,000 kilometers (194,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 42 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

Tracking the Shepherd
September 5, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft tracks the shepherd moon Prometheus as it orbits Saturn.

This image is part of a sequence designed to monitor the evolution of a streamer of material in the F ring for nearly a full orbit, as it follows Prometheus. Here, Prometheus is just about to pass behind the planet. The faint streamer lies below and to the right of Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across), in the faint, inner strand of the F ring.

See Soft Collision for a movie sequence of Cassini images that shows Prometheus creating a streamer.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 21 degrees above the ringplane. Saturn's upper atmosphere distorts the image of the rings near the planet's limb.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 9, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (804,000 miles) from Prometheus. 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

Bright Rays
September 8, 2008

Rhea's bright ray crater features prominently in this southern view. The feature is surrounded by bright ejecta -- material thrown outward by the impact that formed the crater.

The view looks toward high southern latitudes on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) from a perspective 49 degrees below the icy moon's equator. Rhea's south pole is at bottom center.

The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 29, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 413,000 kilometers (257,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 44 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

Saturn Gets in the Way
September 9, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft continued to track Saturn's moon Prometheus after it disappeared behind the planet, capturing a few fortunate, high-resolution views of the clouds in Saturn's high north.

Tracking the Shepherd was taken an hour earlier, just before the moon vanished behind Saturn. Later, when Prometheus reappeared from behind the planet, Cassini was waiting to take more images.

The view is centered on a region located about 70 degrees north of Saturn's equator. North is toward the top of the image and rotated 28 degrees to the right. The vortices seen here are among the swarm of bright spots seen in Angles in the Atmosphere, just south of the north polar hexagon.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 9, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (746,000 miles) from Saturn. 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

Full of Holes
September 11, 2008

The sun's low angle near the terminator throws the craters of Mimas into stark relief.

This view looks toward high northern latitudes on Mimas (396 kilometers, or 246 miles across) from a position 72 degrees north of the moon's equator. The north pole is in darkness at center.

The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 4, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 153,000 kilometers (95,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 106 degrees. Image scale on average is 918 meters (3,011 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

Disturbing Moons
September 12, 2008

This mosaic of two Cassini images shows Pan and Prometheus creating features in nearby rings.

Pan (28 kilometers, or 17 miles across), in the Encke Gap at left, is trailed by a series of edge waves in the outer boundary of the gap. Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across at its widest point) just touches the inner edge of Saturn's F ring at right, and is followed by a series of dark channels in the ring, which were caused by the passage of Prometheus through the F ring on previous orbits.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 3 degrees above the ringplane. The images were taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 15, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (746,000 miles) from Pan and Prometheus. Image scale is 7 kilometers (5 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

Shadow Cap
September 15, 2008

The shadow of Saturn's rings sits upon the northern hemisphere of Mimas like a dark cap. In this Cassini spacecraft view, which looks toward high northern latitudes on Mimas, the moon is just grazing the shadow of the rings.

The two distinct shadow regions seen here are the penumbra and the much darker umbra. An observer within the penumbral region on Mimas would have their view of the Sun partly blocked by the rings. For a viewer within the umbral region, the rings would completely cover the Sun. However, since the rings are not opaque, the Sun would still be dimly visible.

The image was brightened to reveal faint details within the eclipsed region, illuminated dimly by sunlight filtering through the rings.

Another view, Full of Holes, was acquired a few minutes prior to this image, and shows a nearly identical Mimas (396 kilometers, or 246 miles across) before the rings' shadow obscured the surface.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 4, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 143,000 kilometers (89,000 miles) from Mimas and from about 67 degrees above the moon's equator. The Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle in the image is 106 degrees. Image scale is 856 meters (2,808 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

Evidence of Collision
September 16, 2008

The three bright, finger-like jets of material seen here suggest that a small object has collided with the core of Saturn's F ring.

Cassini spacecraft imaging scientists have shown that the F-ring shepherd moon Prometheus influences the structure of the ring in two ways: by creating streamer-channel features as it closely approaches (and partially passes into) the ring (see Soft Collision) and by perturbing the orbits of small objects within the F ring region which then exert their own influence on nearby ring particles, as seen here.

These small, embedded objects could be temporary clumps of particles, but scientists think at least one of the objects could be a more permanent moonlet.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 40 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 20, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 685,000 kilometers (426,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-ring-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 40 degrees. 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

Arc in Motion
September 18, 2008

The bright arc of material in Saturn's G ring is seen here as it rounds the ring's edge, or ansa. The ring arc orbits Saturn along the inner edge of the G ring.

Cassini spacecraft scientists think the arc contains a population of relatively large, icy particles held in place by a gravitational an orbital resonance with the moon Mimas. Micrometeoroids collide with the large particles, releasing smaller, dust-sized particles that brighten the arc. The plasma in the giant planet's magnetic field sweeps through this arc continually, dragging out the fine particles and creating the G ring. The ring arc orbits Saturn along the inner edge of the G ring.

The diffuse glow at left shows the extended nature of this faint ring.

The ring moved against the background stars during this exposure, creating the star trails seen here.

The view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from less than a degree below the ringplane.

The upper, brighter ring section is the one closer to Cassini. Here, the ring arc is coming toward Cassini and moving toward right as it rounds the ansa.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 22, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (740,000 miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 13 degrees. Image scale is 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

Rhea's Roughness
September 22, 2008

The sun's low angle near the terminator highlights the topography of craters within Rhea's wispy terrain.

A similar view, Rhea in Natural Color, shows this region from a slightly different perspective and in natural color.

This view looks toward the trailing hemisphere of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). North is toward the top of the image.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 10, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 758,000 kilometers (471,000 miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 51 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

Pan and Janus
September 23, 2008

Two of Saturn's moons coast along the outer edge of the main ring system. The orbits of seven small moons cluster just outside the F ring -- between the orbits of Pan and the co-orbital moons Janus and Epimetheus.

Pan (28 kilometers, or 17 miles across at its widest point) appears as a bright dot within the Encke Gap, right of center. Janus (179 kilometers, 111 miles across at its widest point) lies outside the A and F rings, below center.

This view 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 Aug. 22, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (808,000 miles) from Janus. 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

Saturn by Ringshine
September 24, 2008

Large regions of Saturn's night side are illuminated by the planet's gleaming rings. Except for a sliver of the sunlit crescent at left, this view shows a part of the planet lit almost entirely by ringshine.

The southern hemisphere, at bottom, receives its illumination from sunlight that strikes the rings' southern face and is reflected onto the planet. The northern hemisphere, at top, is lit by the feeble light that wends its way through countless ring particles to emerge on the rings' north face.

Despite the dim lighting on the northern part of the planet, many cloud features can be seen there nevertheless.

This view was acquired from about 44 degrees above the ringplane. At bottom, the planet's shadow stretches across the D and C rings.

Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 23, 2007 at a distance of approximately 901,000 kilometers (560,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 50 kilometers (31 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's Fractured North
September 25, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft gazes down at linear tectonic features in Dione's northern hemisphere.

These features -- several canyons and at least one ridge -- are also visible in the upper right quadrant of Dione in Full View. The features themselves are heavily cratered, which suggests they are ancient.

Lit terrain seen here is on the leading hemisphere of Dione (1,123 kilometers, or 698 miles across). The view was acquired from 61 degrees north of the moon's equator.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 3, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 684,000 kilometers (425,000 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 69 degrees. Image scale is 4 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel at maximum resolution.

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

Mimas Adrift
September 26, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft gazes down at linear tectonic features in Dione's northern hemisphere.

The Cassini spacecraft looks beyond Saturn's limb toward the icy face of Mimas, the innermost of the planet's major moons.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 3 degrees below the ringplane. Mimas is 396 kilometers (246 miles) across.

Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were acquired with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 4, 2007 at a distance of approximately 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from Saturn and 2.8 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Mimas. Image scale is 16 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel on Saturn and 17 kilometers (11 miles) per pixel on Mimas.

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

Pandora's Shadow
September 29, 2008

Saturn's moon Pandora casts its shadow upon the F ring. Moon shadows upon the rings will become an increasingly common sight for Cassini as equinox approaches and the Sun moves northward through the ringplane.

This observation was optimized to show faint details in the F ring, leaving Pandora (81 kilometers, 50 miles across at its widest point) overexposed.

The view looks toward 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 Aug. 17, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 864,000 kilometers (537,000 miles) from Pandora and at a Sun-Pandora-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 48 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

Saturn's Active Atmosphere
September 30, 2008

Saturn's high north is a seething cauldron of activity filled with roiling cloud bands and swirling vortices. A corner of the North Polar Hexagon is seen at upper left.

This view looks toward a region located about 70 degrees north of the planet's equator, in a place that receives continually increasing amounts of sunlight as Saturn's seasons change.

The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 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 541,000 kilometers (336,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 29 kilometers (18 miles) per pixel.

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

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

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Source: NASA/JPL - Cassini

Gathering of Moons
October 1, 2008

A trio of icy moons crowds together along the Cassini spacecraft's line of sight.

Brilliant Enceladus (504 kilometers, or 313 miles across) sits on the planet's shadow-draped limb at center; Pandora (81 kilometers, or 50 miles across at its widest point) is a bright speck hovering near the rings; and Mimas (396 kilometers, or 246 miles across) is seen at lower right.

This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about a degree below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on June 28, 2007. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 291,000 kilometers (181,000 miles) from Enceladus. Scale in the image ranges from 17 kilometers (11 miles) per pixel on Enceladus to 32 kilometers (20 miles) per pixel on Saturn, in the background.

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

Moonmade Ringscape
October 2, 2008

Many of the elegant structures in Saturn's rings result from the influence of the planet's moons. Seen here at center is the Cassini Division, flanked at top and bottom by the outer B-ring edge and the inner A-ring edge, respectively.

The gravitational influence of the moon Mimas is responsible for the Cassini Division. See Expanse of Ice for a labeled map of Saturn's rings.

The view 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 Aug. 2, 2008. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1 million kilometers (639,000 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

Mimas in Profile
October 6, 2008

The Cassini spacecraft spies the icy moon Mimas on the far side of Saturn's rings. The large crater Herschel gives the moon a flattened profile on its leading hemisphere, at left.

This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Mimas (396 kilometers, or 246 miles across). North is up and rotated 30 degrees to the left.

This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 2 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 22, 2008. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (831,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-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 Persistent Hexagon
October 8, 2008

Saturn's north polar hexagon appears to be a long-lived feature of the atmosphere, having been spotted in images of Saturn in the early 1980s, again in the 1990s, and then by the Cassini spacecraft in the past several years.

The persistent nature of the hexagon in imaging observations implies that it is present throughout Saturn's 29-year seasonal cycle. Two sides of the hexagon are seen here.

This view was obtained from about 67 degrees above the equator. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 25, 2008 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 566,000 kilometers (352,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 31 kilometers (19 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 ca