Cassini: the 100 Best Saturn Images According to NASA Scientists

2017-09-15T19:41:00Z

cassini huygens spacecraft testing nasa jpl psd lpi — The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft undergoing thermal testing in 1996. NASA/JPL-Caltech

After 13 years of orbiting Saturn and its moons, NASA's bus-size Cassini probe is now a puff of radioactive vapor in the planet's swirling clouds.

Space agency leaders knew this day would come since 2010, when they decided to empty Cassini's tanks to continue exploring Saturn as long as possible.

Without a means of controlling the probe, they reasoned, Cassini had to be destroyed. This would prevent it crashing into Saturn's icy moons Enceladus and Titan — which hide vast, salty, global oceans that may be habitable to alien life — since Cassini left Earth contaminated with small amounts of bacteria.

To honor the more than 453,000 photos Cassini took of Saturn, its rings, moons, and other objects, several NASA divisions worked together to select its 100 greatest visuals. Those have been turned into a 110-page ebook, titled "The Saturn System Through the Eyes of Cassini", which is free to download for iBooks, Kindles, and other ebook readers (and just as a PDF).

"While these images represent the tip of the iceberg — each telling a story about Saturn and its mysterious moons — our hope is that the mission will inspire future artists and explorers," NASA wrote in a press release. "The sheer beauty of these images is surpassed only by the science and discoveries they represent."

Jim Green, NASA's head of planetary science, wrote the forward to the collection of pictures.

"This book is the first chapter of what I predict will be the greatest story ever told: how humans reached for the stars and discovered life beyond Earth," Green said.

Here's a small collection of the best images and what they reveal.

The book includes beautiful views of Saturn. This image shows the planet's north pole and its hexagonal blue-yellow storm, which is big enough to fit several Earths inside.

cassini saturn rings hexagon top down nasa jpl caltech ssi PIA17474 — A view of Saturn's north pole and rings taken on October 10, 2013, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Cornell

Cassini snapped this photo of Saturn while passing through the planet's shadow.

saturn rings0backlit glow mars venus earth nasa jpl caltech ssi PIA17172_fig1 — A backlit photo of Saturn and its moons taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on July 19, 2013. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

Here Saturn appears to float. In fact, the planet is so gaseous it'd float on water (if there was an ocean big enough).

saturn rings shadow jewel cassini nasa jpl psd lpi

Near-infrared photos revealed Saturn in a whole different light. (This image is colorized to highlight different wavelengths.)

The star of the Cassini mission was Enceladus: a small, ice-encrusted moon that hides an ocean.

saturn enceladus cassini nasa jpl caltech — A photograph of Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, taken by NASA's Cassini probe. NAS/JPL-Caltech

Cassini flew through jets of Enceladus' ocean that shoot out of the moon's south pole. The probe "tasted" the spray and revealed that the ocean was warm and possibly habitable to alien microbes.

enceladus water jets ocean spraying saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — Geysers of water spray out of Enceladus' south pole. They're evidence of a global ocean hidden below. "The Saturn System Through the Eyes of Cassini"; NASA PSD; NASA/JPL-Caltech; NASA LPI

Titan, Saturn's largest moon (left), is the size of planet Mercury. Cassini used its gravity to change its orbit and visit targets of interest.

saturn titan edge on rings shadows cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — This image shows four moons near Saturn (right), including Titan — the largest in the scene. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

The probe's views of Titan in front of Saturn were striking.

saturn titan rings shadows cassini nasa jpl psd lpi

This shot shows Saturn's second-largest moon, Rhea, eclipsing Titan.

titan rhea largest moons saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — Saturn's largest and second-largest moons, Titan (background) and Rhea (foreground), eclipsing each other. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Titan's atmosphere is twice as thick as Earth's. The moon has clouds, weather, and even liquid lakes. Cassini caught this glint of sunlight reflecting off of Titan's largest lake in 2009.

titan lake sunlight glinting reflecting saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — A glint of sunlight reflects off Titan's methane lakes. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/DLR

Near-infrared photos cut through Titan's clouds and haze to reveal its complex surface.

titan saturn moon 2 — A false-color image of Saturn's moon Titan. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/University of Idaho

In January 2004, Cassini dropped off Huygens — a European-built lander — on Titan, leading to the first alien-moon landing in human history.

titan huygens lander descent images panel saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — A sequence of Huygens probe descent images from January 2005. "The Saturn System Through the Eyes of Cassini"; NASA PSD; NASA/JPL-Caltech; NASA LPI

Ligeia Mare is Titan's largest lake. It's full of hydrocarbons like ethane and methane.

titan lakes map saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — A false-color image of Titan's Ligeia Mare lake of methane. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell

Cassini inventoried Saturn's other weird moons, too, including Iapetus...

iapetus moon crater saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — Saturn's moon Iapetus. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute via NASA APOD

...And pockmarked Hyperion.

hyperion moon saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — Saturn's small and heavily cratered moon Hyperion. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Dione, a small icy moon, is dominated by Saturn and its ring shadows in this image.

dione moon saturn cassini nasa jpl psd lpi

Cassini also caught stunning close-ups of Saturn's rings, which are now thought to be millions of years old.

saturn shadow bisects rings cassini nasa jpl psd lpi

The planet's inner C-ring is almost translucent in this photo, showing the blue-hazed limb of Saturn's atmosphere behind it.

saturn c ring atmopshere cassini nasa jpl psd lpi

Just like ice in Earth's atmosphere, Saturn's rings can produce rainbow-hued halos.

saturn rings rainbow cassini nasa jpl psd lpi

This weird view shows how Saturn's outer atmosphere distorts light from rings located behind it.

saturn atmosphere ring warping nasa jpl psd lpi

Though gossamer-thin, Cassini showed that Saturn's rings have complex structure. These roughly mile-high peaks cast shadows on nearby ring material.

saturn rings 3d peaks shadows cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — Saturn's rings have S-shaped disturbances that rise miles high and cast shadows. "The Saturn System Through the Eyes of Cassini"; NASA PSD; NASA/JPL-Caltech; NASA LPI

The gravity of Prometheus — a small, potato-shaped moon lurking in Saturn's F-ring — was found to create "streamers" in ring material.

saturn rings prometheus cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — Saturn's moon Prometheus creates ripples in the rings of Saturn. "The Saturn System Through the Eyes of Cassini"; NASA PSD; NASA/JPL-Caltech; NASA LPI

This grainy image reveals a deep mystery of Saturn: "propeller objects" (the white streaks) that fail to carve out their own lanes in the rings.

saturn rings propeller objects cassini nasa jpl psd lpi — The sharpest-ever photo of "propeller objects" (white streaks) in the rings of Saturn. "The Saturn System Through the Eyes of Cassini"; NASA PSD; NASA/JPL-Caltech; NASA LPI

See the rest of the images in NASA's book here.

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NASA picked the 100 greatest images of Saturn from its Cassini mission — here are some of the best

The book includes beautiful views of Saturn. This image shows the planet's north pole and its hexagonal blue-yellow storm, which is big enough to fit several Earths inside.

Cassini snapped this photo of Saturn while passing through the planet's shadow.

Here Saturn appears to float. In fact, the planet is so gaseous it'd float on water (if there was an ocean big enough).

Near-infrared photos revealed Saturn in a whole different light. (This image is colorized to highlight different wavelengths.)

The star of the Cassini mission was Enceladus: a small, ice-encrusted moon that hides an ocean.

Cassini flew through jets of Enceladus' ocean that shoot out of the moon's south pole. The probe "tasted" the spray and revealed that the ocean was warm and possibly habitable to alien microbes.

Titan, Saturn's largest moon (left), is the size of planet Mercury. Cassini used its gravity to change its orbit and visit targets of interest.

The probe's views of Titan in front of Saturn were striking.

This shot shows Saturn's second-largest moon, Rhea, eclipsing Titan.

Titan's atmosphere is twice as thick as Earth's. The moon has clouds, weather, and even liquid lakes. Cassini caught this glint of sunlight reflecting off of Titan's largest lake in 2009.

Near-infrared photos cut through Titan's clouds and haze to reveal its complex surface.

In January 2004, Cassini dropped off Huygens — a European-built lander — on Titan, leading to the first alien-moon landing in human history.

Ligeia Mare is Titan's largest lake. It's full of hydrocarbons like ethane and methane.

Cassini inventoried Saturn's other weird moons, too, including Iapetus...

...And pockmarked Hyperion.

Dione, a small icy moon, is dominated by Saturn and its ring shadows in this image.

Cassini also caught stunning close-ups of Saturn's rings, which are now thought to be millions of years old.

The planet's inner C-ring is almost translucent in this photo, showing the blue-hazed limb of Saturn's atmosphere behind it.

Just like ice in Earth's atmosphere, Saturn's rings can produce rainbow-hued halos.

This weird view shows how Saturn's outer atmosphere distorts light from rings located behind it.

Though gossamer-thin, Cassini showed that Saturn's rings have complex structure. These roughly mile-high peaks cast shadows on nearby ring material.

The gravity of Prometheus — a small, potato-shaped moon lurking in Saturn's F-ring — was found to create "streamers" in ring material.

This grainy image reveals a deep mystery of Saturn: "propeller objects" (the white streaks) that fail to carve out their own lanes in the rings.

See the rest of the images in NASA's book here.

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NASA picked the 100 greatest images of Saturn from its Cassini mission — here are some of the best

The book includes beautiful views of Saturn. This image shows the planet's north pole and its hexagonal blue-yellow storm, which is big enough to fit several Earths inside.

Cassini snapped this photo of Saturn while passing through the planet's shadow.

Here Saturn appears to float. In fact, the planet is so gaseous it'd float on water (if there was an ocean big enough).

Near-infrared photos revealed Saturn in a whole different light. (This image is colorized to highlight different wavelengths.)

The star of the Cassini mission was Enceladus: a small, ice-encrusted moon that hides an ocean.

Cassini flew through jets of Enceladus' ocean that shoot out of the moon's south pole. The probe "tasted" the spray and revealed that the ocean was warm and possibly habitable to alien microbes.

Titan, Saturn's largest moon (left), is the size of planet Mercury. Cassini used its gravity to change its orbit and visit targets of interest.

The probe's views of Titan in front of Saturn were striking.

This shot shows Saturn's second-largest moon, Rhea, eclipsing Titan.

Titan's atmosphere is twice as thick as Earth's. The moon has clouds, weather, and even liquid lakes. Cassini caught this glint of sunlight reflecting off of Titan's largest lake in 2009.

Near-infrared photos cut through Titan's clouds and haze to reveal its complex surface.

In January 2004, Cassini dropped off Huygens — a European-built lander — on Titan, leading to the first alien-moon landing in human history.

Ligeia Mare is Titan's largest lake. It's full of hydrocarbons like ethane and methane.

Cassini inventoried Saturn's other weird moons, too, including Iapetus...

...And pockmarked Hyperion.

Dione, a small icy moon, is dominated by Saturn and its ring shadows in this image.

Cassini also caught stunning close-ups of Saturn's rings, which are now thought to be millions of years old.

The planet's inner C-ring is almost translucent in this photo, showing the blue-hazed limb of Saturn's atmosphere behind it.

Just like ice in Earth's atmosphere, Saturn's rings can produce rainbow-hued halos.

This weird view shows how Saturn's outer atmosphere distorts light from rings located behind it.

Though gossamer-thin, Cassini showed that Saturn's rings have complex structure. These roughly mile-high peaks cast shadows on nearby ring material.

The gravity of Prometheus — a small, potato-shaped moon lurking in Saturn's F-ring — was found to create "streamers" in ring material.

This grainy image reveals a deep mystery of Saturn: "propeller objects" (the white streaks) that fail to carve out their own lanes in the rings.

See the rest of the images in NASA's book here.

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