Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

 

NASA recently published a spectacular image of Saturn's F ring, acquired by the Saturn-bound Cassini spacecraft. The image shows the F ring disappearing into the darkness of the planet's shadow.

 

The spacecraft was on the unlit side of the rings, from about 55° above the ringplane. The image also contains numerous star trails, due to long exposure.

 

The image was taken in visible light with Cassini's narrow-angle camera on 3 January 2007, at a distance of approximately 1.4 million km from Saturn. The phase angle (Sun-Saturn-spacecraft angle) was 108°. Image scale is 8 km per pixel.

 

Further reading

Guide Star

http://www.bibalex.org/Eclipse2006/News_Details.aspx?id=200

Greetings from Space

http://www.bibalex.org/Eclipse2006/News_Details.aspx?id=179

Cassini-Huygens Mission

http://www.bibalex.org/Eclipse2006/News_Details.aspx?id=179

 

 

Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem