The Strange Trailing Side of Saturn’s Iapetus
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
Posts tagged "Cassini"
-
Source apod.nasa.gov
-
Saturn’s Hyperion: A Moon with Odd Craters
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
Source apod.nasa.gov -
Space Boat: A Nautical Mission to an Alien Sea
In 2006, while flying by Saturn’s moon Titan, the radar on NASA’s Cassini orbiter discovered seas of liquid ethane and methane on the moon’s –300ºF surface, the only bodies of liquid we know of that exist anywhere but on Earth. Some of the oily seas appeared on Cassini’s radar to be larger than Lake Superior, but visibility was poor because Titan’s atmosphere is thick and hazy. Now NASA is considering sending a probe called the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) to splash down on one of Titan’s seas for a closer look. The mission would be humankind’s first extraterrestrial nautical expedition.
(via sagansapien)
Source itsfullofstars -
Cassini closes in on Saturn’s tumbling moon Hyperion
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured new views of Saturn’s oddly shaped moon Hyperion during its encounter with this cratered body on Thursday, Aug. 25. Raw images were acquired as the spacecraft flew past the moon at a distance of about 15,500 miles (25,000 kilometers), making this the second closest encounter. [Read More]
Source physorg.com -
Stubby Shadow by NASAJPL on Flickr.
Saturn’s small moon Pan, brightly overexposed, casts a short shadow on the A ring in this image taken before the planet’s August 2009 equinox.
Source spacettf -
Saturn’s icy moon may have an ocean
According to the Cassini orbiter, Saturn’s moon Enceladus may have an underground ocean of salty molten liquid. The moon shoots ice from geysers that burst from fissures in the moon as confirmed by Cassini, which swooped to within 21 kilometers of the surface. The icy geysers are responsible for Saturn’s E Rings.
(via itsfullofstars)
Source
-
Ice Moon Tethys from Saturn-Orbiting Cassini
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
Source phys.ncku.edu.tw -
Source ikenbot
-
Looking Over Enceladus
The Cassini spacecraft looks over cratered and tectonically deformed terrain on Saturn’s moon Enceladus as the camera also catches a glimpse of the planet’s rings in the background. The image was captured during the spacecraft’s flyby of Enceladus on Nov. 30, 2010.
Geologically young terrain in the middle latitudes of the moon gives way to older, cratered terrain in the northern latitudes. See New to Old on Enceladus to learn more. This view is centered on terrain at 41 degrees north latitude, 202 degrees west longitude. North on Enceladus (504 kilometers, or 313 miles, across) is up and rotated 28 degrees to the right.
Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI
Source ikenbot -
Source ikenbot
-
Saturns Hexagon Comes to Light
Explanation: Believe it or not, this is the North Pole of Saturn. It is unclear how an unusual hexagonal cloud system that surrounds Saturn’s north pole was created, keeps its shape, or how long it will last. Originally discovered during the Voyager flybys of Saturn in the 1980s, nobody has ever seen anything like it elsewhere in the Solar System. Although its infrared glow was visible previously to the Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn, over the past year the mysterious hexagonal vortex became fully illuminated by sunlight for the first time during the Cassini’s visit. Since then, Cassini has imaged the rotating hexagon in visible light enough times to create a time-lapse movie. The pole center was not well imaged and has been excluded. There are many unexpected cloud motions, such as waves emanating from the corners of the hexagon. Planetary scientists are sure to continue to study this most unusual cloud formation for quite some time.
Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
(via foucaultvsthemoonmen)
Source apod.nasa.gov -
Enceladus’ ice geysers taken by the Cassini spacecraft, which suggests there is liquid water on the moon.
Source thebeautyofscience -
Saturn Storm
Late last year, a new, remarkably bright storm erupted in Saturn’s northern hemisphere. Amateur astronomers first spotted it in early December, with the ringed gas giant rising in planet Earth’s predawn sky. Orbiting Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft was able to record this close-up of the complex disturbance from a distance of 1.8 million kilometers on December 24th. Over time, the storm has evolved, spreading substantially in longitude, and now stretches far around the planet. Saturn’s thin rings are also seen slicing across this space-based view, casting broad shadows on the planet’s southern hemisphere.
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA; Color Composite: Jean-Luc Dauvergne
Source ikenbot
![Cassini closes in on Saturn’s tumbling moon Hyperion
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured new views of Saturn’s oddly shaped moon Hyperion during its encounter with this cratered body on Thursday, Aug. 25. Raw images were acquired as the spacecraft flew past the moon at a distance of about 15,500 miles (25,000 kilometers), making this the second closest encounter. [Read More]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqkiz3vB1B1qfsp07o1_1280.jpg)
