Cassini Equinox & Solstice Mission, (nine year extension)!!.

[Fomalhautian]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

I've been hanging around the raw images they post on the Equinox website. It looks like one image has come in since the 7th. This one was taken on the 10th looking towards the E-ring from 1,023,097 km away.

 

[Fomalhautian]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

They've posted a ton of pictures from the 11th in the raw image section on the JPL Cassini site.

This one is pretty awesome.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Thanks Fomalhautian.

Rings at the Kronian Vernal Equinox.

415 KM ×394 KM ×381 KM Mimas is seen here with the Herschel Crater. North is to the upper left. This is mostly the leading hemisphere. Note how Mimas is flattened due to the low density, tidal bulge & quick rotation as it orbits Saturn once every 22 Hours & 36 minutes.

Also this one of the best views to date of 196 KM x 192 KM x 150 KM Janus.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

My own crop & enlargement of 196 KM x 192 KM x 150 KM Janus.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

IR view of a 6,993 KM wide area of lower clouds in Saturn's atmosphere. These clouds are below the high thin ones & hazes in Saturn's Stratosphere. Towards the bottom, IMH are what looks like massive thunderheads.

High latitudes of Dione are shown here. The image is centred at 66 North. Dione can be seen here to have undergone goelogical activity in the past, particularly the tectonic ridges & rifting. Whilst Dione is cratered, the cratering density is far lower than for many of the other of Saturn's moons such as Mimas, Tethys, Rhea & Iapetus.

Tracking reveals Dione to be differentiated, i.e has a least a distinct core & mantle layer below the icy crust & out of Saturn's moons only Titan & Enceladus apart from Dione display this.

Here the shadow of the 179 KM wide moon Janus cuts across the Encke Gap in Saturn's rings. This image was obtained on: Tuesday 9th June 2009, only 63 days prior to the Kronian Equinox.

Here the 86 KM wide asteroidal shaped ice moon Prometheus can be seen both causing a wake & is also casting a shaodw across the F Ring on: Tuesday 30th June 2009, only 42 days prior to the Kronian Equinox.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Saturn on: Wednesday 19th August 2009. Just eight days after the Kronian Equinox. Note how narrow thwe shadow of the rings are on Saturn's cloud taps.

Full size image here.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

The 29 KM × 22 KM × 20 KM sized ice moon Telesto imaged on: Thursday 27th August 2009. Telesto is the leading Co orital moon of the large major moon Tethys. Calypso is the smaller trailling moon.

Below is a crop & enlargement from the frame.

Andrew Brown.

 

[nimbus]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

The "Shadows of Saturn at Equinox" image at APOD is also worth checking out... Beautiful.

 

[Ralfy99]

Cassini Equinox

Here's the link: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox

Here's the link: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/

Welcome to SDC Ralfy99.

I'm glad that you are intgerested in Cassini. I have merged your opening post with the existing Cassini Equinox Thread.

Please peruse the forums to see if a thread related to your interests already exists. If not, then by all means start a new one.

I like your avatar of the north polar crescent Titan. It is a wonderful image.

Ful sized image below.

Janus shadow across the rings. Tuesday 14th July 2009.

Andrew Brown.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

We don't normally do this, but here is a thread in Space Science and Astronomy with other ring shadow images:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=19998&p=385167#p385167

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Saturnlit & Sunlit Enceladus.

Mimas. Trailing hemisphere.

Pan casts a lengthy shadow on the A Ring.

Iapetus seen for the first time during the Cassini Equinox Mission.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Cassini watches Saturn's Aurorae dance.

Movie here.

This is just astonishing stuff!!!!!!

1,200 KM / 750 mile high auroral curtains dance around Saturn's arctic.

Andrew Brown.

 

[nimbus]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

The Enceladus plumes pic featured on APOD is also very nice.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0911/en ... ni_big.png

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Thank You very much nimbus.

I have made an sharpened cropped enlargement of a section from the stupendous image.

Fantastic stuff.

Andrew Brown.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Wow, Andrew, those are some amazing jets. It's good to have you back posting such outstanding images!!!

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Thanks Wayne, I appreciate that comment very much. It is great to be getting back.

A crop & sharpened shot of Enceladus from 2,028 KM. Ridges & ice boulders are clearly visible as is at least one major thrust fault.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

My sharpened enlarged crop of Enceladus both Saturn lit & brilliantly sunlit (crescent) with the south polar plumes.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Immediately following on from the Enceladus encounter, Cassini focussed on Rhea, Saturn's second largest moon, a gigantic 1,528 kilometre wide ball of undifferentiated ice & rock.

Cassini focussed on the equatorial region of this large moon to look for evidence that Rhea may either still have or have had rings of its own & the possibilty that Rhea may even have had it's own familly of small moons in it's youth that have since impacted the surface.

My enlarged, sharpened view of the crescent Rhea on Saturday 21st November 2009.

My enlarged, sharpened crop of an equatorial impact crater on Rhea, approx 60 KM across, when Cassini was 24,444 KM from the large icy moon. Note the many north - south running thrust faults. IIRC the first seen on Rhea.

It is great to be back doing this stuff again. :mrgreen:

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Cassini observes Saturn's third largest moon, the 1,471 KM wide Iapetus from 1.2 Million KM on Sunday 13th September 2009.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

My crop & enlargement of Rhea & Dione in conjunction as seen by Cassini. Saturday 28th November 2009.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

396 KM wide Mimas is seen here. The oblateness of the low density ice moon is very apparent here.

The Saturn Arctic Hexagon has reappeared.
Mosaic below showing the full feature.

Andrew Brown.

 

[scottb50]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

396 KM wide Mimas is seen here. The oblateness of the low density ice moon is very apparent here.


The geography, maybe not the right term, bears a striking resemblance to Mercury pictures in the related thread. Geological changes as well as impacts. The biggest difference is Mercury is relatively small and Mimas has a massive planet drawing in debris creating greater chances of impacts. In both cases few, if any geological changes appear to change the impact areas even though they are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Mercury extremely hot and Mimas extremely cold, though Mercury fluctuates a lot more.

 

[h2ouniverse]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for posting the zoomed image on the Rhean crater (this one went below my radar). I think you are right about the "first" for the cracks. Amazing. Especially given the non-differentiation expected for Rhea. I hope they will try to date the cracks.

Best regards.

 

[3488]

Re: Cassini Equinox Mission (Cassini's two year extension).

I wonder if those faults are impact related, perhaps to the Tirawa Basin on Rhea?????

Below, interesting observation. Sunlight glint sof a Titanian methane lake.

Cassini spots specular reflection in IR of an arctic methane lake on Titan.

Andrew Brown.