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Saturn's Vortex and Rings The Cassini spacecraft captures three magnificent sights at once: Saturn's north polar vortex and hexagon along with its expansive rings. The hexagon, which is wider than two Earths, owes its appearance to the jet stream that forms its perimeter. The jet stream forms a six-lobed, stationary wave which wraps around the north polar regions at a latitude of roughly 77 degrees North. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 37 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on April 2, 2014 using a spectral filter which preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 752 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 43 degrees. Image scale is 81 miles (131 kilometers) per pixel. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute #nasa #cassini #saturn #solarsystem #saturnrings #space; -
Two active regions with their intense magnetic fields produced towering arches and spiraling coils of solar loops above them (June 29 - July 1, 2014) as they rotated into view. When viewed in extreme ultraviolet light, magnetic field lines are revealed by charged particles that travel along them. These active regions appear as dark sunspots when viewed in filtered light. Note the small blast in the upper of the two major active regions, followed by more coils of loops as the region reorganizes itself. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory/NASA #sdo #sun #solar #solarloops #nasa #space; -
In case you missed it, it has been a decade since a robotic traveler from Earth first soared over rings of ice and fired its engine to fall forever into the embrace of Saturn. On June 30, the Cassini mission celebrated 10 years of exploring the planet, its rings and moons. The huge storm churning through the atmosphere in Saturn's northern hemisphere overtakes itself as it encircles the planet in this true-color view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. This picture, captured on Feb. 25, 2011, was taken about 12 weeks after the storm began, and the clouds by this time had formed a tail that wrapped around the planet. Some of the clouds moved south and got caught up in a current that flows to the east (to the right) relative to the storm head. This tail, which appears as slightly blue clouds south and west (left) of the storm head, can be seen encountering the storm head in this view. This storm is the largest, most intense storm observed on Saturn by NASA's Voyager or Cassini spacecraft. It is still active today. As scientists have tracked this storm over several months, they have found it covers 500 times the area of the largest of the southern hemisphere storms observed earlier in the Cassini mission. The shadow cast by Saturn's rings has a strong seasonal effect, and it is possible that the switch to powerful storms now being located in the northern hemisphere is related to the change of seasons after the planet's August 2009 equinox. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI #Cassini10 #NASA #space #saturn #solarsystem #cassini; -
In case you missed it, it has been a decade since a robotic traveler from Earth first soared over rings of ice and fired its engine to fall forever into the embrace of Saturn. On June 30, the Cassini mission celebrated 10 years of exploring the planet, its rings and moons. The best view of Saturn's rings in the ultraviolet indicates there is more ice toward the outer part of the rings, than in the inner part, hinting at the origins of the rings and their evolution. Images taken during the Cassini spacecraft's orbital insertion on June 30 show compositional variation in the A, B and C rings. From the inside out, the "Cassini Division" in faint red at left is followed by the A ring in its entirety. The Cassini Division at left contains thinner, dirtier rings than the turquoise A ring, indicating a more icy composition. The red band roughly three-fourths of the way outward in the A ring is known as the Encke gap. The ring system begins from the inside out with the D, C, B and A rings followed by the F, G and E rings. The red in the image indicates sparser ringlets likely made of "dirty," and possibly smaller, particles than in the icier turquoise ringlets. This image was taken with the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph instrument, which is capable of resolving the rings to show features up to 97 kilometers (60 miles) across, roughly 100 times the resolution of ultraviolet data obtained by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado #Cassini10 #NASA #space #saturn #solarsystem #cassini; -
In case you missed it, it has been a decade since a robotic traveler from Earth first soared over rings of ice and fired its engine to fall forever into the embrace of Saturn. On June 30, the Cassini mission celebrated 10 years of exploring the planet, its rings and moons. Vertical structures, among the tallest seen in Saturn's main rings, rise abruptly from the edge of Saturn's B ring to cast long shadows on the ring in this image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft two weeks before the planet's August 2009 equinox. Part of the Cassini Division, between the B and the A rings, appears at the top of the image, showing ringlets in the inner division. In this image, Cassini's narrow angle camera captured a 1,200-kilometer-long (750-mile-long) section arcing along the outer edge of the B ring. Here, vertical structures tower as high as 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) above the plane of the rings -- a significant deviation from the vertical thickness of the main A, B and C rings, which is generally only about 10 meters (about 30 feet). Cassini scientists believe that this is one prominent region at the outer edge of the B ring where large bodies, or moonlets, up to a kilometer or more in size, are found. It is possible that these bodies significantly affect the ring material streaming past them and force the particles upward, in a "splashing" manner. Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI #Cassini10 #NASA #space #saturn #solarsystem #cassini;
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In case you missed it, it has been a decade since a robotic traveler from Earth first soared over rings of ice and fired its engine to fall forever into the embrace of Saturn. On June 30, the Cassini mission celebrated 10 years of exploring the planet, its rings and moons. A masterpiece of deep time and wrenching gravity, the tortured surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its fascinating ongoing geologic activity tell the story of the ancient and present struggles of one tiny world. This is a story that is recounted by imaging scientists in a paper published in the journal Science on March 10, 2006. The enhanced color view of Enceladus seen here is largely of the southern hemisphere and includes the south polar terrain at the bottom of the image. Ancient craters remain somewhat pristine in some locales, but have clearly relaxed in others. Northward-trending fractures, likely caused by a change in the moon's rate of rotation and the consequent flattening of the moon's shape, rip across the southern hemisphere. The south polar terrain is marked by a striking set of `blue' fractures and encircled by a conspicuous and continuous chain of folds and ridges, testament to the forces within Enceladus that have yet to be silenced. The mosaic was created from 21 false-color frames taken during the Cassini spacecraft's close approaches to Enceladus on March 9 and July 14, 2005. Images taken using filters sensitive to ultraviolet, visible and infrared light (spanning wavelengths from 338 to 930 nanometers) were combined to create the individual frames. Credit: NASA/JPL #Cassini10 #NASA #space #saturn #solarsystem #cassini; -
In case you missed it, it has been a decade since a robotic traveler from Earth first soared over rings of ice and fired its engine to fall forever into the embrace of Saturn. On June 30, the Cassini mission celebrated 10 years of exploring the planet, its rings and moons. A mosaic of nine processed images recently acquired during Cassini's first very close flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on Oct. 26, 2004, constitutes the most detailed full-disc view of the mysterious moon. The images that comprise this mosaic have been processed to reduce the effects of the atmosphere and to sharpen surface features. The mosaic has been trimmed to show only the illuminated surface and not the atmosphere above the edge of the moon. The Sun was behind Cassini so nearly the full disc is illuminated. Pixels scales of the composite images vary from 2 to 4 kilometers per pixel (1.2 to 2.5 miles per pixel). Surface features are best seen near the center of the disc, where the spacecraft is looking directly downwards; the contrast becomes progressively lower and surface features become fuzzier towards the outside, where the spacecraft is peering through haze, a circumstance that washes out surface features. The brighter region on the right side and equatorial region is named Xanadu Regio. Scientists are actively debating what processes may have created the bizarre surface brightness patterns seen here. The images hint at a young surface with, no obvious craters. However, the exact nature of that activity, whether tectonic, wind-blown, fluvial, marine, or volcanic is still to be determined. Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI #Cassini10 #NASA #space#saturn #solarsystem #cassini; -
In case you missed it, it has been a decade since a robotic traveler from Earth first soared over rings of ice and fired its engine to fall forever into the embrace of Saturn. On June 30, the Cassini mission celebrated 10 years of exploring the planet, its rings and moons. On July 19, 2013, in an event celebrated the world over, NASA's Cassini spacecraft slipped into Saturn's shadow and turned to image the planet, seven of its moons, its inner rings -- and, in the background, our home planet, Earth. With the sun's powerful and potentially damaging rays eclipsed by Saturn itself, Cassini's onboard cameras were able to take advantage of this unique viewing geometry. They acquired a panoramic mosaic of the Saturn system that allows scientists to see details in the rings and throughout the system as they are backlit by the sun. This mosaic is special as it marks the third time our home planet was imaged from the outer solar system; the second time it was imaged by Cassini from Saturn's orbit; and the first time ever that inhabitants of Earth were made aware in advance that their photo would be taken from such a great distance. Credit: NASA/JPL #Cassini10 #NASA #space#saturn #solarsystem #cassini; -
In case you missed it, it has been a decade since a robotic traveler from Earth first soared over rings of ice and fired its engine to fall forever into the embrace of Saturn. On June 30, the Cassini mission celebrated 10 years of exploring the planet, its rings and moons. Specially designed Cassini orbits place Earth and Cassini on opposite sides of Saturn's rings, a geometry known as occultation. Cassini conducted the first radio occultation observation of Saturn's rings on May 3, 2005, seen here. Three simultaneous radio signals of 0.94, 3.6, and 13 centimeter wavelength (Ka-, X-, and S-bands) were sent from Cassini through the rings to Earth. The observed change of each signal as Cassini moved behind the rings provided a profile of the distribution of ring material as a function of distance from Saturn, or an optical depth profile. This simulated image was constructed from the measured optical depth profiles. It depicts the observed ring structure at about 10 kilometers (6 miles) in resolution. Color is used to represent information about ring particle sizes in different regions based on the measured effects of the three radio signals. Purple color indicates regions where there is a lack of particles of size less than 5 centimeters (about 2 inches). Green and blue shades indicate regions where there are particles smaller than 5 centimeters (2 inches) and 1 centimeter (less than one third of one inch). The saturated broad white band near the middle of ring B is the densest region of ring B, over which two of the three radio signals were blocked at 10-kilometer (6-mile) resolution, preventing accurate color representation over this band. From other evidence in the radio observations, all ring regions appear to be populated by a broad range particle size distribution that extends to boulder sizes (several to many meters across). Credit: NASA/JPL #Cassini10 #NASA #space#saturn #solarsystem #cassini; -
Celestial Fireworks: Like an Independence Day fireworks display, a young, glittering collection of stars looks like an aerial burst. The cluster is surrounded by clouds of interstellar gas and dust -- the raw material for new star formation. The nebula, located 20,000 light-years away in the constellation Carina, contains a central cluster of huge, hot stars, called NGC 3603. This environment is not as peaceful as it looks. Ultraviolet radiation and violent stellar winds have blown out an enormous cavity in the gas and dust enveloping the cluster, providing an unobstructed view of the cluster. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, R. O'Connell (University of Virginia), F. Paresce (National Institute for Astrophysics, Bologna, Italy), E. Young (Universities Space Research Association/Ames Research Center), the WFC3 Science Oversight Committee, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) #independenceday #4thofjuly #july4th #nasa #space #science #fourthofjuly #4thofjuly2014;
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Stellar Fireworks! Resembling an aerial fireworks explosion, this dramatic image of the energetic star WR124, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, reveals that it is surrounded by hot clumps of gas being ejected into space at speeds of over 100,000 miles per hour. The picture was taken in March 1997. The image is false-colored to reveal details in the nebula's structure. Image credit: NASA/Yves Grosdidier (University of Montreal and Observatoire de Strasbourg), Anthony Moffat (Universitie de Montreal), Gilles Joncas (Universite Laval), Agnes Acker (Observatoire de Strasbourg) #independenceday #4thofjuly #july4th #star #nasa #space #science #fourthofjuly #4thofjuly2014; -
A Spaceborne Perspective on the Red, White and Blue: Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, lies in the center of this image from our Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). This true-color view of the northeastern United States, taken from the instrument's nadir, or downward-looking, camera includes a fitting display of the reddish colors of soils, grayish-whites of urban areas and clouds, and blue hues of water. This image was acquired on October 11, 2000, during Terra orbit 4344. It covers an area 334 kilometers x 328 kilometers. North is at the top. NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team #independenceday #4thofjuly #july4th #nasa #space #science #fourthofjuly #4thofjuly2014; -
A Spaceborne Perspective on the Red, White and Blue: Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, lies in the center of this image from our Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). This true-color view of the northeastern United States, taken from the instrument's nadir, or downward-looking, camera includes a fitting display of the reddish colors of soils, grayish-whites of urban areas and clouds, and blue hues of water. This image was acquired on October 11, 2000, during Terra orbit 4344. It covers an area 334 kilometers x 328 kilometers. North is at the top. NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team #independenceday #4thofjuly #july4th #nasa #space #science #fourthofjuly #4thofjuly2014; -
Extraterrestrial Fireworks on this Independence Day! Reminiscent of a fireworks celebration, this Hubble Space Telescope image of a cosmic explosion that is quite similar to fireworks on Earth. In the upper right corner of the image, the Small Magellanic Cloud is a delicate glowing structure ablaze in a multitude of lavenders and peach. Nearby, a massive star has exploded as a supernova and begun to dissipate its interior into a spectacular display of colorful filaments. Determined to be only about 2,000 years old, young supernova remnants like this allow astronomers to examine material from the cores of massive stars directly. This in turn gives insight on how stars form, their composition and the chemical enrichment of the surrounding area. As well, young remnants are a great learning tool to better understand the physics of supernova explosions. The Small Magellanic Cloud is a nearby dwarf galaxy to our own Milky Way. It is visible in the Southern Hemisphere, in the direction of the constellation Tucana, and lies roughly 210,000 light-years distant. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)/J. Green (University of Colorado, Boulder) #independenceday #4thofjuly #july4th #supernova #nasa #space #science #fourthofjuly #4thofjuly2014; -
Celestial Fireworks! Resembling the puffs of smoke and sparks from Independence Day fireworks display, this Hubble image depicts the delicate filaments debris from a stellar explosion in a neighboring galaxy. Denoted N 49, or DEM L 190, this remnant is from a massive star that died in a supernova blast whose light would have reached Earth thousands of years ago. This filamentary material will eventually be recycled into building new generations of stars. Our own sun and planets are constructed from similar debris of supernovae that exploded in the Milky Way billions of years ago. Image Credit: Image Credit: NASA, The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), Y.-H. Chu (UIUC), S. Kulkarni (Caltech) and R. Rothschild (UCSD) #independenceday #4thofjuly #july4th #galaxy #nasa #space #science #fourthofjuly #4thofjuly2014;
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