Tag: Saturn
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NASA’s Cassini spacecraft aims to skirt Saturn’s innermost ring
Cassini took this image of Saturn and its rings May 13. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Fresh off its fifth passage through a gap between Saturn’s atmosphere and rings, NASA’s robotic Cassini spacecraft is looping toward a close brush with the planet’s innermost ring next week, when the probe will again use its high-gain antenna as…
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Cassini downlinks view of Titan’s methane clouds on third loop inside rings
Cassini took this picture of Titan’s northern cloud bands Sunday from a distance of more than 300,000 miles (500,000 kilometers). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute The Cassini spacecraft captured captivating images of wispy methane clouds suspended above Titan’s hydrocarbon lakes as the probe headed for its third shot through Saturn’s ring gap Tuesday. The distant pictures,…
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Cassini downlinks view of Titan’s methane clouds on third loop inside rings
Cassini took this picture of Titan’s northern cloud bands Sunday from a distance of more than 300,000 miles (500,000 kilometers). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute The Cassini spacecraft captured captivating images of wispy methane clouds suspended above Titan’s hydrocarbon lakes as the probe headed for its third shot through Saturn’s ring gap Tuesday. The distant pictures,…
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NASA probe finds Saturn ring gap emptier than predicted
This unprocessed image shows features in Saturn’s atmosphere from closer than ever before. The view of Saturn’s polar vortex was captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during its first “Grand Finale” dive past the planet on April 26, 2017. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute NASA’s Cassini spacecraft sped through a gap between Saturn and its rings for…
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NASA probe finds Saturn ring gap emptier than predicted
This unprocessed image shows features in Saturn’s atmosphere from closer than ever before. The view of Saturn’s polar vortex was captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during its first “Grand Finale” dive past the planet on April 26, 2017. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute NASA’s Cassini spacecraft sped through a gap between Saturn and its rings for…
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Listen to the sound of silence as Cassini crosses ‘The Big Empty’ in Saturn orbit
The hexagon-shaped cloud system at Saturn’s north polar region looms in the foreground with the planet’s rings stretching across the background, in an image captured by the Cassini spacecraft’s camera on April 26. Click on the image for a larger version. (NASA / JPL-Caltech / Kevin M. Gill Image / CC-BY-2.0) The researchers behind NASA’s…
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Cassini contacts Earth after flying inside Saturn’s rings
This unprocessed image shows features in Saturn’s atmosphere from closer than ever before. The view of Saturn’s pool hurricane was captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during its first “Grand Finale” dive past the planet on April 26, 2017. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Ground controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed Thursday the Cassini spacecraft survived…
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Cassini orbiter survives first dive inside Saturn’s rings: 21 to go, and then the end
This unprocessed image of Saturn’s atmosphere was captured by the Cassini probe during its dive inside the planet’s rings. (NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute Image) NASA’s Cassini orbiter zoomed inside Saturn’s rings overnight for the first time in its 20-year-long flight – and lived to tell about it. Signals received by the Deep Space Network’s…
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Cassini sails by Saturn’s moon Titan for last time
Cassini flew by Saturn’s moon Titan on Saturday for the mission’s final close encounter with the Earth-like moon. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft sped by the moon Titan on Saturday, using the hazy world’s gravity to slingshot the probe on a trailblazing trajectory to explore the region between Saturn’s hydrogen-helium atmosphere and the planet’s famous rings for…
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The Grand Finale: Cassini enters final mission
Nearly 20 years after launch and almost 13 years at the majestic ringed planet, the Cassini spacecraft is about to enter the final phase of its historic mission. The Grand Finale of Cassini’s mission began Sunday morning, setting up a series of close-proximity ops to the planet as Cassini dives between the innermost edge of…