Thursday, September 22, 2016

A Great New Image of Saturn



NASA has recently released a spectacular new image of the planet Saturn, seen when it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere. (A year on Saturn is about 30 Earth years, so each season there lasts about 7.5 of our years! Saying goodbye for summer vacation is a big deal there.)
The rings are seen in fine detail with the shadow of the planet toward the left side. The mysterious hexagon-shaped storm at the north pole is also clearly visible. You are seeing Saturn from a distance of about 1.9 million miles.
The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft that has orbited Saturn and shown us the planet, its rings, and its fantastic moons since 2004.
Enjoy. (Click on the image to see it bigger.)