Tag: Cassini
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Cassini offers best-ever view of Saturn’s rings
This image taken Dec. 18, 2016, shows a region in Saturn’s outer B ring. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft viewed this area at a level of detail twice as high as it had ever been observed before. The view here is of the outer edge of the B ring, at left, which is perturbed by the most…
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Saturn’s shepherd moon Daphnis makes waves
The wavemaker moon, Daphnis, is featured in this view taken by the Cassini spacecraft Jan. 16. It is the closest picture of Daphnis ever taken. Each pixel measures about 551 feet (168 meters) across. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has captured the first close-up view of Daphnis, one of at least 62 moons…
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YIR III: From dwarfs to giants – the missions of Dawn, Juno, and Cassini
Moving out into the asteroid belt and farther still to the gas giants, NASA’s Dawn, Juno, and Cassini missions churned away in orbit of their respective hosts – with Dawn continuing an up-close-and-personal investigation of the dwarf planet Ceres, Juno’s fantastically accurate arrival at Jupiter but frustratingly crippled start to its science mission, and the…
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Study suggests Saturn’s moon Dione has underground ocean
This view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft looks toward Saturn’s icy moon Dione, with giant Saturn and its rings in the background, just prior to the mission’s final close approach to the moon on Aug. 17, 2015. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Scientists crunching data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft believe Saturn’s moon Dione has a liquid ocean…
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Cassini conducting fly-by of Titan to sniff its atmosphere
The Cassini spacecraft is conducting a fly-by pass of Titan on Monday, a pass that will involve two major science observations. Known as the “T-118” Titan encounter, two Cassini instruments are being employed to sniff and observe the moon’s atmosphere before beaming the information back to Earth for evaluation by scientists. Cassini: The Cassini mission…
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Saturn’s moons align for cosmic photo opportunity
Like a cosmic bull’s-eye, Enceladus and Tethys line up almost perfectly for Cassini’s cameras. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute NASA has released an image of Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Tethys caught in a rare alignment by the Cassini spacecraft, which is heading for its final close encounter with the icy moon Enceladus Saturday. Taken Sept. 24,…
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Cassini images just a taste of Enceladus flyby science return
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured this view as it neared icy Enceladus for its closest-ever dive past the moon’s active south polar region.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Days after a fleeting plunge through the icy plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is broadcasting tantalizing data back to Earth for scientists eager to address the moon’s…
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Cassini successfully navigates the ice plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus
Continuing its exploration at the ringed giant of the solar system, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has completed a dive through the ice plume ejecta material of the Saturnian moon Enceladus. The dive, designed to collect data about the mysterious subterranean salt water ocean on Enceladus, took Cassini on its deepest dive ever into the mysterious plumes of the ice…
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Cassini survives daring flight through plumes of Enceladus
Updated after confirmation of Wednesday’s flyby. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft radioed home Wednesday after a high-speed dash through the wispy fountains of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, sampling particles that hold telltale hints whether alien life could survive somewhere in the depths of a vast global ocean hidden beneath a crust of rumpled ice. Scientists believe the material seeping…
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Cassini transmits home first views of Enceladus’ north pole
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft zoomed by Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus on Oct. 14, 2015, capturing this stunning image of the moon’s north pole. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 4,000 miles (6,000 kilometers) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 9 degrees. Image scale is 115 feet (35 meters) per…