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Space & Astronomy

Amazing new views of Saturn's rings revealed

By T.K. Randall
May 8, 2017 · Comment icon 12 comments

One of several new shots of Saturn's rings. Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
Cassini's second dive between Saturn and its innermost ring has yielded more breathtaking photographs.
Back at the end of last month, NASA's Cassini spacecraft survived its first daring plunge between Saturn and its ring system as part of the long-running mission's "Grand Finale".

Now following a second successful dive, the probe has returned even more impressive images which show Saturn's rings in more detail than ever before.

Scientists have also suggesed that the images will get even better over the coming months.

"The images from the first pass were great, but we were conservative with the camera settings," said Andrew Ingersoll, one of the members of Cassini's imaging team.

"We plan to make updates to our observations for a similar opportunity on June 29 that we think will result in even better views."

If everything goes according to plan and the probe survives all its dives, Cassini's mission will come to a fiery end when it deliberately plummets in to the planet's atmosphere in September.

Source: Independent | Comments (12)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #3 Posted by BeastieRunner 7 years ago
I like that NASA wants help creating galleries.
Comment icon #4 Posted by taniwha 7 years ago
I wonder how close the computer simulations compare with the reality.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Calibeliever 7 years ago
I'd love to see these in color.
Comment icon #6 Posted by coolguy 7 years ago
Awesome well done nasa
Comment icon #7 Posted by Frank Merton 7 years ago
This is something of a real puzzle.  We expected, of course, that they would be relatively empty, since we don't see anything, but so, so empty implies some sort of mechanism going on that removes material, and I can't imagine what sort of things that might be (big vacuum cleaner out there).  Of course better informed and smarter minds are applied to this so we may soon have something.
Comment icon #8 Posted by Calibeliever 7 years ago
I saw something on this a while back. The prevailing theory (according to source x) was that larger objects trailed through the disk and whisked up smaller material leaving gaps in their wake. 
Comment icon #9 Posted by Frank Merton 7 years ago
Yea -- it has to be something of that sort -- but why don't we see them? I'm not trying to imply anything alien or whatever here -- just that there is a puzzle.
Comment icon #10 Posted by Calibeliever 7 years ago
You got me asking too now. I found this on Space.com. Apparently the cause of some of the gaps are a mystery still  
Comment icon #11 Posted by wahmeiman 7 years ago
its all CGI and NASA are liars.
Comment icon #12 Posted by Calibeliever 7 years ago


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