NASA space probe Cassini has been sending us pictures and other information about Saturn and its moons since 2004 through its various instruments. Its original mission was completed in 2008 and because it was still fully operational it was extended in the mission called Cassini Equinox because it coincided with the equinox on Saturn. Subsequently, a second extension was approved called Cassini Solstice which could continue until 2017.
Observations of Saturn’s satellites are useful to astronomers to study the changes in their orbits caused by their mutual gravitational influences in combination with the planet’s gravity. The Saturn system is particularly complex for the large number of satellites and its beautiful rings so it’s very interesting from a scientific point of view.
The images that come from the Cassini spacecraft are useful for scientific research but very often they’re also very beautiful for the unique shows they offer us.
In May 2011 Cassini space probe’s narrow-angle camera took several photos of two of Saturn’s moons, Titan and Dione, while they appeared close to each other. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the only known natural satellite that has a dense atmosphere. Dione is the third-largest moon of Saturn and was discovered in 1684 by astronomer Cassini, the one the spacecraft was named after.
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In particular, one of the photographs taken by the Cassini spacecraft is truly extraordinary: Titan and Dione appear so close as to touch each other and in the background there are Saturn’s rings. Actually, Titan is at a distance of approximately 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Cassini while Dione is about 3.2 million kilometers (2 million miles) from the spacecraft. It’s therefore an optical effect but the combination of elements is really fantastic!
This and other images were obtained by combining several images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters. Their combination allowed obtaining as a result those natural colors.
This really is a case in which nature gives us a breathtaking show, luckily the Cassini spacecraft was there to take pictures!
