Ring Scan
Explanation:
Scroll right and cruise above the thin, icy rings
of
Saturn.
This
high
resolution scan is a mosaic of images
presented in natural color and recorded in May,
over about 2.5 hours as
the Cassini spacecraft passed above the unlit side of
the rings.
The rings themselves are
seen
to be composed of many individual ringlets.
To help track your progress, the rings are labeled below,
along with the distance from the center of
the gas giant in kilometers.
Major ring gaps are labeled above.
The alphabetical
designation of Saturn's rings is
historical
and related to their order of
discovery;
rings A and B are the bright rings separated by the
Cassini division.
In order of increasing distance from Saturn,
the seven main rings run D,C,B,A,F,G,E.
(
Faint, outer rings G and E
are not imaged here.)
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.
