Saturn from Below
Explanation:
Swooping below Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft spied several strange wonders.
Visible in the distance are some of the many
complex rings
that orbit the
Solar System's
second largest planet.
In the foreground looms the gigantic world itself, covered with white dots that are
clouds high in
Saturn's thick atmosphere.
Saturn's atmosphere is so thick that only clouds are
visible.
At the very
South Pole of Saturn
lies a
huge vortex that is a
hurricane-like storm showing no sign of dissipating.
The robotic
Cassini spacecraft
took the
above image
in January from about one million kilometers out, resolving details about 50 kilometers
across.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
