Awesome Video

CASSINI MISSION from cabbas on Vimeo.

Moons

Rings in the Dark

Read more here

I never really thought they had a different color in the dark. 

Enceledus

Image by Karl Kofoed -- Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania



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Spokes and Rings

I did find this to be one of the better shots I have seen lately. 
get info here   Looks better on the original page it came from.

more saturn stuff

Cassini snaps another great one,  

All the particulars can be read about in the link, the Keeler belt of the A ring, Pan and Daphnis, and the was the gravity works the ring material.  This is the stuff science fiction is made of... strange new worlds, far far way. Lovin every bit of Saturn data I come across, mostly in the Ciclops.org site.

Another Cassini Image

Now, for real; you're gonna tell me an object just 4.5 miles wide is going to be called a moon? Just because it is orbiting the planet. So by current definition anything orbiting a planet is considered a moon. I want Earth to have 2 moons, so I will take this old Coleman cooler, launch and affix it to orbit the earth, we now have 2 moons, Luna and Coleman. 


Actually, this is what is known as a Shepherd Moon. Saturn has several of these, Daphnis shown here in the Keeler Gap of the A Ring. As the moon orbits in the gap the gravity of the moon disrupts the rings as it passes.

Moon(s) Watcher

I know alot of you out there know me for my space writings, and here I go again. Just in case you forgot what a "Mutual Event" is. When a moon passes in front of or behind another moon it is called a Mutual Event. Have I been out of the loop? or is this a new terminology since Cassini started studying Saturn and its many moons? Being a bit of a space buff I thought I would have heard of this before. I would venture to say outside the Saturn System the event would be quite rare, as you need more than one moon to have this take place. I think the last count of moons Saturn has is up around 70, a mere 64 known before Cassini.  Well just thought I would pass that along so the conversation at the water fountain tomorrow morning won't be so dull.

Can you please explain why?

Quite a bit of information on this page. Of all the interesting phoenomina in and about the Solar System Saturn and her rings have to be on the top of the list. I could read for hours on the subject. Learn a little, understand less, and have 3 million questions raised about thier formation, where they come from and how they got there. Much less how they stay and for so long. There are several hypothesized reasons, I will set this in the "unexplained" category.  Some suggest a fragmented moon during the great bombardment. Recently the Cassini space craft brought to light the geysers of Enceladus feeding the F ring. Obviously gravity does play a part. So many questions... why the planets beyond the asteroids have rings, why gas giants? Do the rings dissipate in time? Why Saturn to be the one with the most visible rings?  Then more questions, the physical characteristics, spokes, shadows, shepherd moons and moonlets. I read, learn and am so interested, there never seems to be a loss of new information. Does it take a "brain surgeon" a "rocket scientist" or a "planetary ring scientist" to find the answers? I need to know!

Extension, or More moons than you can count

So even if your not 'into' space, and have little if any interest in NASA and the International effort the Cassini Probe has brought together this should be news worth hearing. The Cassini Mission has been extended another 7 years. Even if we learn nothing more in the next 7, its already there, and the cost of extension is easier to swallow than sending a new mission. Even though the Brits are backing out of the effort, we have a co operative mission here with other space agencies. So much has been learned, I am sure there is still plenty more to be learned. 


Hey Marvin, have you been paying attention to this?


This page is full of dates and explanations. I got this wonderful image there too (thank you)


Arriving at the Saturn System in 2004 this mission has given us some of the best high resolution images of the Planet, the Ring System and the many moons orbiting this gas giant. When August of 2009 came and the probe was still in perfect operating condition, it would seem silly to just scrap the mission with the Equinox coming on. This event occurs just once every 15 Earth years. So dubbed "Cassini- Hugens" this mission is now on part 2 the Cassini Equinox mission and continued to bring facts, figures and information. 
Brief recap of the mission so far:
Hugens, the lander, landed on the large moon Titan, new moons have been discovered, Enceladus found to have giant geysers, leading scientists to think this icey moon may have liquid water beneath the surface, found the moons cast giant shadows on the ring plane (this is surmised to only occur during Equinox); the list goes on and on. 

Well you say what does this actually do for me? Well, not a darn thing, but it does fill the curious mind with more knowledge, facts and possibly a new category in Trivial Pursuit. The way I am seeing this, it keeps a co-op between nations here on Earth, can only mean an advance in technology, and will provide plenty of the "did you know" questions for future generations. Keeps the scientists busy with peaceful studies and well its just real interesting to learn about other worlds.

Questions to be answered:
Why is it the Planets beyond the asteroid belt all have rings? are gas worlds (except for the moons), and what about Pluto: the only terrestrial body to be orbiting the sun beyond the belt of asteroids. 
Might this also bring some attention to the asteroid belt?

And just like a space mission, I have raised way more questions than answers.... you have to like me for that :)

Rocket Science

Ok, suppose they* are right and the only time the moons will cast shadows on the rings is the short time before, during and after the Equinox. I am not a scientist, so I don't have all the data and facts in front of me. Still, I don't think I have ever seen an image of Saturn including the shaded side that the rings were not also shaded. To me, the non-scientist, it would stand to reason that anything, including but not limited to a moon that would block the light would cast a shadow on the ring plane. Maybe I am wrong, after all this does fall into that category known as "Rocket Science" requiring the mind of a Rocket Scientist.


*those nebulous people

The Equinox I speak of occurs only once every 15 earth years, 

Imagine

Artists conception here of a view from Tethys. I can't help but imagine walking along this landscape, in the dim light of Saturn. or Thinking of this view being from a front porch, a little boy turns to his dad and asks "Dad, why does Saturn have rings?"

More Moons

What a collection of images. Cassini hard at work and taking some wonderful pics, including some moving. In the link provided this image can be seen, there are actually 4 moons shown in the image. Rhea, Mimas, Janas and Pandora.

Mutual Event

The link at the end of post will take you to the photo, Rhea is passing in front of Dione. According to what I am reading, in a "mutual event" moons pass close by or in front of each other. Rhea and Dione pass about 1/2 a million kilometers apart. Define "close" for me would you? That is pretty close in planetary terms, I would imagine. more here

Rhea as seen by Cassini

One of many images that really caught my eye, more here.
The overwhelming curiosity presented by these close up images is
almost unbearable. I would like to see one of these craters being formed, I mean
how cool would that be?
I am now reading the Cassini Mission might get another extension to keep it exploring the Saturn System of planet/rings/moons till into 2017. This mission to me is more intriguing than the Apollo missions where, well save for fact that the moon landings where humans and not just probes.

Just curious

Another awesome view. Only question in my mind is "is the shot from under the ring plane or over the top?"

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shadows

Now this is crazy, but then I am neither a rocket scientist or an astronomer; reading the moons only cast shadows on the ring plane the few months before and after the Equinox (which occurs about every 15 earth years) Seems they would always cast shadows if the phase is sun moon ring plane. But then again I am not the astronomer here.

Mimas being an oblong shaped moon naturally would cast an oblong shaped shadow (duh)

well enough babbling just click the link to see the ciclops page.

<---- This is Mimas by the way.

Titan

Tethys

Cassini like a tourist takes lots of pictures. This one is Tethys. The giant crater called Odysseus is in the north polar region. Sounds strange to refer to the north and south as polar regions, as this infers cold, the entire moon is ice. For more information on this moon, x