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> Backlit Saturn seen by Cassini

Backlit Saturn seen by Cassini

author: Nasa/JPL/SSI/Novapix

reference: a-sat05-00063

Image Size 300 DPI: 56 * 26 cm

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has delivered a glorious view of Saturn, taken while the spacecraft was in Saturn's shadow. The cameras were turned toward Saturn and the sun so that the planet and rings are backlit. (The sun is behind the planet, which is shielding the cameras from direct sunlight.) In addition to the visual splendor, this special, very-high-phase viewing geometry lets scientists study ring and atmosphere phenomena not easily seen at a lower phase. Also captured in this image are two of Saturn's moons: Enceladus and Tethys. Both appear on the left side of the planet, below the rings. Enceladus is closer to the rings; Tethys is below and to the left. This view looks toward the non-illuminated side of the rings from about 19 degrees below the ring plane. Images taken using infrared, red and violet spectral filters were combined to create this enhanced-color view. The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Oct. 17, 2012 at a distance of approximately 500,000 miles (800,000 kilometers) from Saturn. Image scale at Saturn is about 30 miles per pixel (50 kilometers per pixel).

Keywords for this photo:

2012 - ASTRONOMY - CASSINI - ENCELADUS - GLOBAL VIEW - NIGHT - PLANET - POSTER - RING - SATELLITE - SATURN - SHADOW - TETHYS -