Cassini Returns Amazing New Imagery from Saturn

SeaDour writes "The Cassini spacecraft has recently entered a highly-inclined orbit around Saturn, revealing some never-before-seen images of the planet's ring system as seen from above and below the planet. 'Sailing high above Saturn and seeing the rings spread out beneath us like a giant, copper medallion is like exploring an alien world we've never seen before. It just doesn't look like the same place. It's so utterly breath-taking, it almost gives you vertigo.' The spacecraft will eventually return to its standard orbit parallel to the ring plane in late June."

Vertigo?

[catbutt]

I mean, its neat and all, but is showing a different perspective, that really provides no new information, really worth all those over-the-top effusive words? "Alien world we've never seen before"? Or just one we have seen before, but from a 45 degree different angle?

Re:Vertigo?

[CheshireCatCO]

The different angles are actually very important when working on the rings. The photometry changes radically at different phase angles, from different latitudes, and when viewing different ring longitude. From the variations we can deduce a great deal about structures in the rings, particle sizes, and so forth.

Let's start looking at economically

[linzeal]

Can we determine the best way to make artificial shepherd moons to steer the particles into large ore harvesting facilities? Let's get this space colonization started, wooooo! Seriously, are rings and planets around gas giants good places to setup shop for the outer solar system? I mean Titan alone can provide billions of tons of methane.

Re:

[fymidos]

So what? who would need methane in a space colony?

Re:

[Whiteox]

Someone should mod this up +1 Funny.

Methane - Space Colony?(People in enclosed spaces) Get it????

Re:

[camperdave]

They wouldn't need methane in the colony, per se. (As a matter of fact, they'd want to avoid methane in the colony. Especially the chili induced variety). However, methane could be valuable as a propellant, or as a starting point for some food processing technology.

Re:

[Grishnakh]

I'm not sure I see how methane could be useful as a fuel.

On earth, yes, methane gas can be burned to produce energy. However, this is because earth has an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Out in space, there is no extra oxygen floating around, so burning methane would probably do nothing (disclaimer: IANAC (chemist)).

Re:

[camperdave]

I didn't say fuel, I said propellant. You know... reaction mass. Shove it into a gas core nuclear rocket and zoom around the solar system.

Re:

[Grishnakh]

Oh ok. I didn't think about that.

It's too bad that idea is completely infeasible. The problem is it's nuclear, and that's against the treaties about nuclear weapons in space. Yes, propulsion != weapons, but try convincing politicians of that.

We humans are doomed to our own stupidity.

Re:

[camperdave]

It's sad to think of it this way, but I'm confident that our greed and insatiable demand for power will win out over our stupidity. Besides, we already have dozens of nuclear powered (as in generating electricity) spacecraft floating around the solar system, and in a few cases, flying out of it. Furthermore, as you point out, propulsion is not weapons.

yeah, let's

[oohshiny]

Can we determine the best way to make artificial shepherd moons to steer the particles into large ore harvesting facilities?

Yes, if we have about another century of experience with robotic spacecraft. Of course, we won't get that if we burn most of our space budget on joy rides to the moon and Mars, both of which will likely get canceled before they ever get off the ground.

Re:

[justo]

um, perhaps the rings are essential to the way the star sol is able to navigate in our galaxy, and stripping them might be like pulling out your retina.

the solar system is an organism, too.

Re:

[paeanblack]

Seriously, are rings and planets around gas giants good places to setup shop for the outer solar system? I mean Titan alone can provide billions of tons of methane.

A billion tons of methane isn't that useful without 6 billion tons of oxygen to burn it.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Looks like a cheap photoshop effect to me..

Re:Forget Saturn

[TheRealMindChild]

done [goatse.cz]

Re:Forget Saturn

[Tablizer]

For once, somebody who actually *deserves* goatse

Re:

[deviceb]

bah... im sitting here with stomach ache & u make me look at that~!

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you want the extra-zoom pics with rings? (bet you didn't know Uranus had rings - squat over a mirror and be amazed)

Re:

[canipeal]

Just imagine...'Sailing high above Uranus and seeing the Uranus rings spread out beneath us like a giant, copper medallion is like exploring an alien world we've never seen before. It just doesn't look like the same place. It's so utterly breath-taking, it almost gives you vertigo.'

Parallel? Coplanar.

[Sparr0]

Wouldn't the 'equatorial' orbit be coplanar with the rings, not parallel?

Re:Parallel? Coplanar.

[CheshireCatCO]

I suspect that the term "parallel" was chosen because "coplanar" isn't as widely understood among the general public. When writing press-releases they have to strike a delicate balance between complete accuracy and comprehension. There's a sort of perverse Heisenberg Uncertainty principle at play, there.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Images hosted by NASA

[Anonymous Coward]

Go here http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/index .cfm [nasa.gov] to get bigger and more images from NASA, instead of the currently ddo.. I mean /.ed news sites.

Re:

[maglor_83]

Can anyone explain why in this picture [nasa.gov] Saturn obscures the rings on both the near and far sides?

Re:

[BTWR]

The crescent-like "shadow" on the surface of Saturn itself is the area where the rings block the sunlight. The reason you don't see the rear part of the rings is because Saturn itself is blocking them from the Sun's light.

Re:

[Matt Edd]

I don't think that's what he ment. The reason is because Saturn is so bright that it washes out the belt at the bottom.

Re:

[LordSnooty]

Sounds like the same effect as the washed-out crosshairs on Apollo pictures [wikipedia.org] that some claim to be evidence of fakery.

Re:

[CheshireCatCO]

Exactly, Saturn is very reflective (relative to the rings) and we're seeing it through the C ring, which is itself a pretty tenuous ring relative to the A and B rings. (It's also possible that there's some "bleed" in the CCD if Saturn is too over-exposed. Honestly, rings scientists would love to just remove the planet completely...)

Re:

[LittleK]

The image is overexposed. That's why the light coming from Saturn is brighter than the light from the rings. The rings are not opaque from that distance. Saturn only seems to be in front of the rings because it is brighter, but it's only so bright because of the overexposure. Simple photography, really. They just left the lens open.

Re:

[DerekLyons]

Easily - it doesn't. On the near side the (fairly) bright planet shines through the (nearly) transparent rings.

Re:

[HTH NE1]

When I saw that picture [nasa.gov] my first thought was, "We have a new Creative Commons [creativecommons.org] logo!"

Then of course I realized Creative Commons doesn't nest the Cs in their logo.

Re:

[RobBebop]

I like this image showing the rings of Saturn... 4088x2908 pixels large. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA08362.jpg [nasa.gov] With more information on these pages: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimed ia/pia08362.html [nasa.gov] http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08362 [nasa.gov]

Other pics

[ischorr]

The linked photo site was almost immediately Slashdotted so I'm not sure what they contained, but there are pictures on NASA's site here:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/20 070301.html [nasa.gov]

Re:Other pics

[Jazzer_Techie]

What do Odysseus and a bunch of ./ers have in common?

They can both down a Ciclops.

Thanks, I'll be here all week.

Re:Better photos

[xigxag]

Cool archive [nasa.gov]

Check out that 4th photo caption. Damn Microsoft and their interplanetary advertising campaign!!!

Re:

[QuickFox]

It *wasn't* redundant When I first thought to post

What, you expect mercy from Slashdot moderators?

You must be new here.

Re:

[Joebert]

That's what I did because of the Slashdotting.
Am I the only one that thinks thoose photos look fake ?

Re:

[Joebert]

Flamebait, sheesh.

Seriously, they look like somthing I could make in photoshop.
Am I looking at the wrong ones or somthing ?

Re:

[deviceb]

nope they look like a bad bryce3d rendering. i was expecting to look up from the ground and see definition in the rings.. texture.. alien casinos or something. That pic of the island in the lakes of Titan was better.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

FYI, the crappy "ciclops" site is the homepage of the Cassini imaging team: Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations.

Re:

[CheshireCatCO]

Are you using "crappy" to mean "Slashdotted"? Seems rather an unfair use of the adjective.

No colonizing mars

[dj245]

seeing the rings spread out beneath us like a giant, copper medallion is like exploring an alien world we've never seen before.

Its too bad Mars (probably) doesn't have tangible rings. Because as they say, "if you can't support a medallion, you can't support a family". And if you can't support a family, then you must be a liberal arts major and trying to colonize Mars.

Or something

*below* the planet ?!?

[cliveholloway]

And where would that be exactly? Surely, by convention the probe is above the planet - wherever it is in its orbit?

Re:

[CheshireCatCO]

Nope, at least not if you're interested in Saturn. The rings, being planar, make a strong case for an "above" and a "below". So we frequently do use those terms, at least speaking loosely. I can't recall the same being true for other planets, although it might be.

Re:

[CheshireCatCO]

all the planets orbit the sun in a similar equatorial plane.

Ecliptic plane, you mean? The equatorial planes are wildly different.

That's not a moon! That's a...

[jd]

...planet. Y'know, it doesn't have the same ring(s) to it.

Re:

[Dannon]

I am sick and tired of these motherf*ckin' snakes on this motherf*ckin' ring plane!

(couldn't resist...)

Re:

[Technician]

I'll stick here closer to the Sun. Global warming is a minor nusiance compared to the mean temprature on Saturn.

The mean temperature on Saturn (at the cloud tops) is 88 K (-185 C; -290 F).

Maybe it is warmer on the surface, but with all the clouds in the way, I don't think the view is great.

Re:

[Ash Vince]

The mean temperature on Saturn (at the cloud tops) is 88 K (-185 C; -290 F).

I'll just wear a thick wooley jumpey when I go outside. :)

Re:

[Technician]

Before venturing out, research the planet.

I'll just wear a thick wooley jumpey when I go outside. :)

They don't call it a gas giant for nothing. The surface is less dense than water. You might be suprised by the distance you would sink into the surface.

Saturn's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids.

Quote blatenly stolen from;
http://www.windows. [ucar.edu]

Re:

[Ash Vince]

They don't call it a gas giant for nothing. The surface is less dense than water. You might be suprised by the distance you would sink into the surface.

So does that mean I would need wellington boots as well?

Re:

[Tablizer]

That's it, I've had it with the crappy views down here, I'm moving to Saturn!

If it's anything like California, you'll pay an arm and a leg for the view.
     

Above vs. below?..

[mi]

the planet's ring system as seen from above and below the planet

How do you tell above vs. below in the context?

Re:

[catbutt]

I think "above" in the solar system is the direction that is perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the planets, and that roughly corresponds to north (but is actually 23.5 degrees from earth-north).

Re:

[larry bagina]

and earth magnetic north is not constant.

Re:

[catbutt]

Who said anything about magnetic north?

Re:

[mi]

I think "above" in the solar system is the direction that is perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the planets

Ok, so you've identified the line along which both the "above" and the "below" align. Now, which direction is "up"?

Re:

[CheshireCatCO]

"Above" and "below" are relative to the ecliptic plane. (It is not dependent on the spin of the planet, which can vary quite a lot from one planet to the next. Look at Venus and Uranus.) That said, until 2009 the Sun will be shining on Saturn's southern hemisphere. So if you're looking at the lit face of the rings, you're below the planet. Conversely, if the rings are unlit by the direct sunlight, it's the north face. Confusingly, this will all change in August of '09. Not that I'm complaining, it's

Thanks to American taxpayers

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks to American taxpayers for footing a couple hundred million dollars for some great desktop backgrounds.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks to American taxpayers for footing a couple hundred million dollars for some great desktop backgrounds.

The U.S. contributed $2.6 billion [wikipedia.org] dollars to this mission.

Re:

[ganjadude]

To be fair the Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.

Only a couple hundred million dollars?

[patio11]

Dang, I wish I paid for the cheap, discounted space agency you apparently contract out to for great desktop backgrounds! The Cassini project actually will cost about 3.2 billion dollars. (Portions paid in Euros, because our friends in Europe decided that they, too, had too much taxpayer money on hand). See: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/faq/mission.cfm [nasa.gov]

(Incidentally, 3.2 billion is also how much karma I have lost for pasting that link on Cassini stories. Let no one say that I'm unwilling to sacrifice for sc

pay attention!

[Insurgent2]

Am I the *only* one here who noticed the extensive glacial retreat evident when comparing these images to the ones from when it arrived in 2004?!?!?

Dude! You can't talk about that!

[wiredog]

The only reason Saturn, Mars, and Earth would all warm up simultaneously would be from changes in solar output, which would endanger the grants of hundreds of atmospheric scientists who've bet their (and their grad students) careers on the cause being atmospheric CO2!

Why not...

[djupedal]

...fly that thing into one of the more placid ring planes and really get attention.

Re:

[CheshireCatCO]

We're not even allowed to fly through most of the thinnest rings, let alone the ones visible from Earth. Still, plowing through the B ring is my favorite end-of-mission scenario. If you have to destroy the spacecraft, you might as well doing it in a fun way.

Who cares about the rings!

[Jugalator]

Now this is more "amazing" to me:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image -details.cfm?imageID=2502 [nasa.gov]

NEVER?

[chamilto0516]

...revealing some never-before-seen images of the planet's ring system...

Well at least not by the carbon-based sentient life forms on the 3rd planet from the sun in this very same solar system.

The ultimate Saturn movie

[heroine]

Unless the spaceship is extraordinarily busy, they should be capturing movies of their orbits over the poles. On at least one orbit, they should capture color, wide angle mosaics of the entire planet during the entire orbit and reconstruct a wide field orbit movie. Such a movie would be over 4000x4000 resolution and when projected in IMAX, possibly the most amazing sight humans have ever had.

The same thing should be done on Mars, with the rovers shooting an entire day of wide angle mosaics to reconstruct

Re:

[Mr2cents]

It's not slashdotted, it's just the latency you get when you download a movie from Saturn. The round trip takes more than two hours, please be patient.

Re:Walter Reed

[oaklybonn]

I can't believe I'm bothering to reply to this AC...
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/index.cfm [nasa.gov]

Cassini-Huygens is an international collaboration between three space agencies. Seventeen nations contributed to building the spacecraft. The Cassini orbiter was built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Huygens probe was built by the European Space Agency. The Italian Space agency provided Cassini's high-gain communication antenna. More than 250 scientists worldwide are studying the data streaming back from Saturn on a daily basis.

--ob

Re:

[Sique]

Don't forget the invention of pizza (ok, the idea to put stuff on a flat dough and bake it wasn't all that new, but to name it 'pizza' was) and Chop Suey (which was invented as a 'chinese style' meal for U.S. americans).

Re:

[dgatwood]

Spare me your anti-American B.S. The U.S. has been a leader in modern technology for a long time. Europe and China provided the foundation for mechanical and chemical engineering. The bulk of modern electrical engineering came from the U.S.

The computer you typed your post on almost certainly used a CPU made by an American company, for example. Intel, AMD, Cyrix/NatSemi... the only major one I'm aware of that is not a U.S. company is VIA (Japanese company). The first microprocessors were invented appr

Re:

[sznupi]

Not disagreeing with you (actually I came to conclusion it's not worth to read the parent post you were replying to...). But...you might recheck your facts about CPU's. :>
The most widely used architecture in the world is...British: ARM. In 2005, 1.7 billion chips were manufactured. And they're everywhere.

Also there's Hitachi/Renesas...

Re:

[dgatwood]

I'm well aware of ARM, but it's not a computer CPU. It's an embedded CPU. I'm not aware of ARM in use in any traditional computers at this time, though it might have been in the distant past. Also, ARM is a family of chips, and while ARM holdings is a British company, AFAIK, they mostly license the tech to other manufacturers like Marvell (Intel's spun-off XScale arm) and Texas Instruments to manufacture it.

Also, while the original ARM architecture was designed by Acorn (a British company), that's not

Re:

[jacksonj04]

Ahh... technology != civilisation.

Try again.

Re:

[limecat4eva]

What site would you propose instead? Everyone's got a perspective. I don't see why Xinhua's would be any less useful, for a story like this, than that of any other major news outlet.

Re:

[poopdeville]

I don't know. Something in the western hemisphere would be nice, if only for the decreased load times.

Re:

[nasete]

Fox is a nice example of freedom. Everybody (in the EU) know it.
Anyone ever wondered how nicely cutted news people at US get?

Re:

[minus_273]

oh i wasnt aware of the fact that foxnews was an arm of the government and the only news source in the country. thanks for enlightening me. I wonder what that CBS, NBC,MSNBC, ABC, CNN stuff means.

Re:

[minus_273]

chinese? don't mix up chinese with the chinese communist party. There are other chinese as well. People in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the diaspora hardly view the world like the communist mainland chinese. Your comment is borderline racist you do know that right?

Re:

[dave1791]

"Oh, right, because any political system that isn't an outright representative democracy is a dictatorship. Please travel more, or at least just get an education."

Wow! The grandparent is a moron, but the parent is also something special. We're hair splitting, but I'll bite. Every government system that is not an outright representative democracy IS a dictatorship. What do monarchies, dictatorships, theocracies, oligarchies, etc. all have in common? The common citizen has no legal recourse for changing

Re:

[minus_273]

Oh, right, because any political system that isn't an outright representative democracy is a dictatorship. Please travel more, or at least just get an education.

actually thats exactly what a dictatorship is! look up the definition "a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique" maybe you should travel more and learn some english while you are at it.