Cassini/Huygens Mission Update Thread Pt. 2

telfrow · Mar 27, 2006

Cassini's Best Maps of Jupiter (North Polar Map) Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 27, 2006

Cassini's Best Maps of Jupiter (South Polar Map) Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 27, 2006

Raw Image N00056068.jpg was taken on March 26, 2006 and received on Earth March 27, 2006. The camera was pointing toward RHEA at approximately 2,112,055 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and GRN filters. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 29, 2006

Structure in the Shadows Shadows drape Saturn's northern hemisphere, providing a different kind of look at prominent features in the rings. From the lower left corner upward, the visible features are: the shadow of the outer B ring, followed by the wide, bright Cassini Division, then the A ring with the embedded thin, bright Encke Gap and finally the dark, narrow F ring. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 18, 2006, using a filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 750 nanometers, and at a distance of approximately 2.8 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 16 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel.[/url] Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 29, 2006

Raw Image N00056096.jpg was taken on March 27, 2006 and received on Earth March 28, 2006. The camera was pointing toward RHEA at approximately 2,320,090 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 30, 2006

Four Propellers These figures show four propeller-shaped structures discovered by the Cassini spacecraft in close-up images of Saturn's A ring. The propellers are about 5 kilometers (3 miles) long from tip to tip, and the radial offset (the "leading" dash is slightly closer to Saturn) is about 300 meters (1,000 feet). See pia07791 and pia07792 for additional images and information about these features. The figures were cropped from two original Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera images and magnified for visibility. The images were then re-projected so that orbital motion is to the left and Saturn is up. The unseen moonlets lie in the center of each structure. The figures were cropped from two original Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera images, taken during Saturn orbit insertion on July 1, 2004, and magnified for visibility. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 30, 2006

Locating the Propellers This collection of Cassini images provides context for understanding the location and scale of propeller-shaped features observed within Saturn's A ring. Careful analysis of the highest resolution images taken by Cassini's cameras as the spacecraft slipped into Saturn orbit revealed the four faint, propeller-shaped double-streaks in an otherwise bland part of the mid-A ring. Imaging scientists believe the "propellers" provide the first direct observation of the dynamical effects of moonlets approximately 100 meters (300 feet) in diameter. The propeller moonlets represent a hitherto unseen size-class of particles orbiting within the rings. The left-hand panel provides broad context within the rings, and shows the B ring, Cassini Division, A ring and F ring. Image scale in the radial, or outward from Saturn, direction is about 45 kilometers (28 miles) per pixel; because the rings are viewed at an angle, the image scale in the longitudinal, or circumferential, direction is several times greater. The center image is a closer view of the A ring, showing the radial locations where propeller features were spotted. The view is approximately 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) across from top to bottom and includes a large density wave at bottom (caused by the moons Janus and Epimetheus), as well as two smaller density waves. The footprints of the propeller discovery images are between density waves, in bland, quiescent regions of the ring. The propellers appear as double dashes in the two close-up discovery images at the right and are circled. The unseen moonlets, each roughly the size of a football field, lie in the center of each structure. These two images were taken during Saturn orbit insertion on July 1, 2004, and are presented here at one-half scale. Resolution in the original images was 52 meters (171 feet) per pixel. The horizontal lines in the image represent electronic noise and do not <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 30, 2006

Propeller Motion This magnified view illustrates the general orientation of the "propeller" features in Saturn's rings as they orbit the planet. The propellers are features detected in Cassini images that reveal the gravitational influence of moonlets approximately 100 meters (300 feet) in diameter. The view is from one of the two Saturn orbit insertion images, taken on July 1, 2004, in which the propellers were discovered. The two dashes of the propeller are oriented in the direction of orbital motion. The "leading" dash is also slightly closer to Saturn; this "radial offset" is about 300 meters (1000 feet). The unseen moonlet lies in the center of the structure. The grainy appearance of the image is due to magnification and the fact that the propellers are very faint--just visible above the level of background noise. Consequently, the image enhancement procedures used have also enhanced the noise. This propeller image is identified as "feature 1" in PIA07790. The original Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera image has been magnified from its original scale for presentation. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 30, 2006

Raw Image N00056154.jpg was taken on March 28, 2006 and received on Earth March 29, 2006. The camera was pointing toward PANDORA at approximately 2,857,842 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

nacnud · Mar 30, 2006

I had heard about the propellers but hadn't seen any images yet, thanks for the update.

telfrow · Mar 31, 2006

Small Moons on the Edge Staring toward the outer edge of Saturn's main rings, the Cassini spacecraft spots Pandora and tiny Atlas. Several clumps are visible in the narrow F ring, as well as multiple dusty strands flanking the F ring core. Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) is seen here outside the F ring, while Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across) is a mere dim pixel just above the bright outer edge of the A ring. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 19, 2006, using a filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 862 nanometers, and at a distance of approximately 2.6 million kilometers (1.6 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 16 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Mar 31, 2006

Rhea Beyond the Rings Crater-scarred Rhea floats in the distance, peeking out from behind Saturn's partly shadowed rings. This view looks upward from just beneath the ringplane. The far side of the rings is masked by Saturn's shadow. The north pole of Rhea is obscured by part of the A ring and the sharply defined F ring. A few bright wispy markings curl around the eastern limb of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 22, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Rhea. The image scale is 13 kilometers (8 miles) per pixel on Rhea. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Apr 3, 2006

Edgy Atlas The Cassini spacecraft looks up from beneath the ringplane to spy Atlas hugging the outer edge of the A ring, above center. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 23, 2006, at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Atlas (32 kilometers, or 20 miles across). The image scale is 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel on Atlas. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Apr 3, 2006

Raw Image: N00056256.jpg was taken on April 02, 2006 and received on Earth April 02, 2006. The camera was pointing toward TETHYS at approximately 3,520,040 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the RED and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Apr 4, 2006

Penelope Crater This dramatic close-up of Tethys shows the large crater Penelope lying near center, overprinted by many smaller, younger impact sites. Three smaller impact features of roughly similar size make a line left of Penelope that runs north-south: (from bottom) Ajax, Polyphemus and Phemius. Features on Tethys are named for characters and places from "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." The largest impact structure on Tethys is named Odysseus. (See PIA07693 for a stunning close-up of Odysseus.) The view is toward the Saturn-facing hemisphere on Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across). North is up. The image was taken in polarized ultraviolet light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 25, 2006 at a distance of approximately 165,000 kilometers (103,000 miles) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 23 degrees. Image scale is 984 meters (3,227 feet) per pixel. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

abq_farside · Apr 5, 2006

NOVA showed Voyage to the Mystery Moon last night. Interesting show. That had some images of Titan I do not think I have seen before. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Don't let who you are keep you from becoming who you want to be! </div>

llivinglarge · Apr 6, 2006

Hydrovulcanism is so exciting!

telfrow · Apr 6, 2006

Star-Crossed Rings This image is a false-color ultraviolet view of Saturn's B ring (center) and A ring (right), separated by a large gap known as the Cassini Division. It shows a bright horizontal streak, created by a series of time lapse images involving a star named 26 Taurus. The image was made over a nine-hour period as the star drifted behind the rings. The opacity of the outer A ring is most pronounced on its inner edge, indicating more ring debris is present there. The Encke Gap, much smaller than the Cassini Division, is visible near the outer edge of the A ring. The B ring is significantly more opaque than the A ring, indicating a greater density of ring material when imaged from above. The sky behind the rings glows red in the ultraviolet wavelengths from the hydrogen gas that fills the solar system. The images were processed from data taken by the ultraviolet imaging spectrograph aboard the Cassini spacecraft in May 2005. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Apr 8, 2006

Strange Shape This atmospheric close-up shows a bright, somewhat distorted feature in Saturn's southern hemisphere. This feature might be a transient eddy which formed and then collided with an obstacle (perhaps a vortex) in the zone of wind shear between two opposing east-west flowing jets. It could also simply indicate a place where two jets are interacting. The image was taken in polarized green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 7, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.9 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 17 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

brandbll · Apr 9, 2006

When is the next scheduled fly by of Titan? And have they gotten as close to it for pictures as they are going to get? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard! </div>

telfrow · Apr 9, 2006

April 30th <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

llivinglarge · Apr 10, 2006

That's star has some serious parallax!

telfrow · Apr 10, 2006

Cassini-Huygens Team Receives Space Award The Cassini-Huygens mission team, which has captured the most detailed views ever of Saturn and its myriad of moons, was honored with an Aerospace Laurel award by the editors of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. Aviation Week presented the award for the successful landing of the European Space Agency's Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan, and for the science return and inspiring images from NASA's Cassini orbiter, which will continue sending back data for many years. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Apr 11, 2006

Seeking the Cloud Tops Long, thin streamers of cloud arc gracefully across this view of Saturn's southerly latitudes. Analysis of images like this should lead scientists to a new understanding of cloud height variations on this complex gas giant world. The image was taken in polarized green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 7, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.9 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 17 kilometers (10 miles) per pixel. Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

aaron38 · Apr 11, 2006

That's as close to Jupiter as I've ever seen Saturn look in a Cassini shot that I can remember!

Cassini/Huygens Mission Update Thread Pt. 2

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