Cassini Beams Back Final Images, Now What?
That’s a wrap for NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. After spending 13 years traveling throughout Saturn and its moons, Cassini ended its mission with a fiery descent into the ringed giant’s upper…
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Saturn
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Saturn’s Rings Never Looked So Good
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is taking its final full lap around Saturn. In three days, Cassini will begin what NASA is calling “The Final Plunge.” While the spacecraft will meet a…
Saturn’s North Pole is Mesmerizing in First Detailed Image from Cassini Spacecraft
When NASA’s Cassini spacecraft kicked off its Grand Finale in late April, it was positioned right above Saturn’s north pole. As it looked down on the ring planet, its camera…
Cassini’s Last Five Orbits Around Saturn
August is shaping up to be quite the month for space fans. The Perseid Meteor Shower is peaking this weekend. SpaceX is preparing for another ISS resupply mission. A total…
The Eerie Silence Between Saturn and Its Rings (UPDATE)
Sometimes new discoveries are what you don’t see and hear. Cassini ring scientists were left scratching their heads after the spacecraft’s first deep dive between Saturn’s upper atmosphere and the…
Cassini First Grand Finale Photos Show a Ghostly Saturn
There are perks to the graveyard shift. At least, at NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) Goldstone Complex in the Mojave Desert. At 2:56 a.m. EDT this morning, the DSN locked…
Cassini Snaps Earth as It Readies Grand Finale
Seeing Earth from millions of miles away never ceases to amaze me. From millions of miles away we’re just a blue speck with a little white speck right next to…
NASA’s Cassini Gets Ready For One Last Encounter With Titan
Cassini’s Grand Finale is almost here, but the hardy spacecraft has one more task before it begins a harrowing series of dives between Saturn’s upper atmosphere and its rings. On…
Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Has the Right Stuff for Life
What NASA’s Cassini spacecraft found “would be like a candy store for microbes,” said Hunter Waite, lead author of the new study out this week. In October 2015, Cassini conducted…
Cassini’s Next Ring-Grazing Orbit Will Bring Tethys’ Mysterious Red Streaks into Focus
Last week, it was Pan. This week, it’s Tethys. The 15th ring-grazing orbit is just over a day away, and Cassini will pass within 4,900 miles of Saturn’s F ring.…
Daphnis’ Gravitational Tug is Small But Stunning
Daphnis is one of 53 named moons discovered around Saturn and represents a group of satellites known as ring moons. These tiny moons cruise close to Saturn’s rings and can…
Cassini’s End Starts With a Visual Bang
The final phases of Cassini’s mission to and around the Saturn system are starting. And what a start it is. The first batch of images from the spacecraft’s new phase…
One Last Saturn Ride for NASA’s Cassini
Titan 125 Flyby isn’t Cassini’s last close flyby of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, but it marks a critical time for NASA’s Saturn mission. During the flyby yesterday, Cassini changed its…
Saturn’s Smallest Moons Clean Up
The breathtaking rings of Saturn dominate the image below. But you might notice something else. See the small dots of light in the bottom right and top left? Those are…
From Voyager 2 to Cassini – 35 Years of Saturn
August 25, 1981. Voyager 2 makes its closest approach to Saturn. The data and images gathered from this close encounter kickstarted talks between U.S. and Europe about another mission to…
Titan and Its Rivers of Ethane and Methane
Radar beams from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft pierce the cloudy haze of Titan to reveal what’s underneath. What they revealed about Saturn’s intriguing moon during a May 2013 flyby is a…
An Optical Illusion Makes a Beautiful Photograph of Saturn’s Rings
Cassini’s newest image of Saturn and its rings might look like it was up close, but the spacecraft was more than 1.1 million miles away. Beautiful, isn’t it? Saturn never…
How Old are Saturn’s Rings and Inner Moons?
The Saturn system didn’t always look as it does today. That’s what new research from scientists at SETI and the Southwest Research Institute is suggesting. We’ve known about Saturn’s majestic…
The Mountains of Titan
Rising 10,948 feet above the cold surface is Titan’s tallest peak. It calls Mithrim Montes, a trio of mountainous ridges, home. Did you know: Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien…
12 Edge-On Images of Saturn and Its Moons
Later this year, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will begin the most audacious part of its mission. NASA describes the mission as “like a whole new mission.” Scientists are calling it the…
Tethys is But Shadows and Ice, Maximus!
Sorry, just watched Gladiator again. One of Cassini’s newest images, aptly named Ices and Shadows, gives us another look at Tethys. Cassini’s vantage point gives us a nearly edge on…
Saturn’s Most Massive Ring is Deceiving Us
One look at Saturn, and it’s easy to believe the largest rings are much denser than others. But, that’s not the case according to a new study of Saturn’s B…
Cassini Takes a Step Back to Admire Saturn
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has explored Saturn and its many moons since June 2004. Many of the mission’s highlights come from close encounters with these moons including Titan, Enceladus, Dione and…
A Month of Stunning Images From NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft
Saturn is one of the most iconic planets in our solar systems. Its rings are awe-inspiring. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has been orbiting the ringed planet since 2004. Lately, it’s been…