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Saturn's rings

author: Nasa/JPL/SSI/Novapix

reference: a-sat05-10010

Image Size 300 DPI: 12 * 12 cm

The rings are awash in subtle tones of gold and cream in this view which shows the outer B ring, the Cassini Division and the inner part of the A ring. In this viewing geometry, the brightest feature in the Cassini Division is the recently discovered diffuse ringlet near the outer edge of the Division. The diffuse ringlet has a distinctive bluish cast. The color of the rings appears more golden than earlier in the mission because of the viewing geometry here -- increased scattering in the rings is brought about by the high phase angle and the view being toward the rings' unlit side. This view looks toward the unlit side of the rings from about 30 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 by the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 29, 2006 at a distance of approximately 1.829 million kilometers (1.137 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 11 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel.

Keywords for this photo:

2006 - ACT010310 - ASTRONOMY - CASSINI - ICE - PLANET - RING - SATURN -