Cassini's Backlit Photo of Saturn Uncovers Never-Before-Seen Rings
With Saturn hanging in the blackness and sheltering the spacecraft from the sun's blinding glare, Cassini viewed the rings as never before. During this period of observation Cassini detected two new faint rings -- one coincident with the shared orbit of the moons Janus and Epimetheus and another coincident with Pallene's orbit.
Comments:
Special Thanks to Joe Metzger for pointing out this news item and this incredible photo of Saturn.<br><br>Thanks Joe.
Why isn't the planet black in this view? Where is the sunlight coming from?
Ringshine?
In the non-enhanced photo on the NASA / Cassini site, the disc of the planet is much darker than in the color enhanced version that was shown here. However, it's not entirely black. I suspect that the particles in the rings are scattering and reflecting light, sort of like having one of those circular florescent lights encircling the planet as opposed to the rings, but I certainly don't know for sure.
I vote for "Ringshine" also, and/or perhaps the use of the IR camera which reads heat, although very little of it would make it throught Saturn's atmosphere.
Funding Member
