Explanation: Now a bright speck of light wandering through Earth's night sky, magnificent planet Saturn lies nearly 1.5 billion kilometers from the Sun. But after an interplanetary voyage of seven years the planet's stunning rings nearly fill the field of the Cassini spacecraft's narrow angle camera in this image recorded on March 27. Tip to tip, the ring system spans about 270,000 kilometers. Named for discoverers, the large, easily visible gap in the rings is known as the Cassini division, while the narrower outer gap is the Encke division. Illuminated from below and to the right, the rings cast a shadow on Saturn's upper hemisphere, interrupted where sunlight streams through the Cassini division and creates a light blue streak. At the left, Saturn also casts a stark shadow across the planet girdling rings. On July 1, the Cassini spacecraft is scheduled to fire its main engine and enter Saturn orbit.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Publikacii s klyuchevymi slovami: Saturn - Saturn rings - cassini spacecraft - Saturn - kol'ca Saturna - KA Kassini - shel' Kassini Publikacii so slovami: Saturn - Saturn rings - cassini spacecraft - Saturn - kol'ca Saturna - KA Kassini - shel' Kassini
Sm. takzhe: Polyarnoe siyanie vokrug severnogo polyusa Saturna Saturn noch'yu Luna zatmevaet Saturn Saturn u kraya Luny Cveta Saturna ot "Kassini" Polumesyac Encelada Vremena goda na Saturne Vse publikacii na tu zhe temu >>