The Cassini spacecraft captures a glimpse of the moon Atlas shortly after emerging from Saturn's shadow. Although the sunlight at Saturn's distance is feeble compared to that at the Earth, objects cut off from the Sun within Saturn's shadow cool off considerably.
Scientists study how the moons around Saturn cool and warm as they enter and leave Saturn's shadow to better understand the physical properties of Saturn's moons.
This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 44 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on January 23, 2014.
The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.6 million miles (2.6 million kilometers) from Atlas and at a Sun-Atlas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 93 degrees. Image scale is 10 miles (16 kilometers) per pixel.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
The ghostly spokes in Saturn's B ring continue to put on a show for the Cassini spacecraft cameras in this recent image. The spokes, believed to be a seasonal phenomenon, are expected to disappear as Saturn nears its northern hemisphere summer. Scientists continue to monitor the spokes to better understand their origin and evolution.
The small moon Atlas also appears here barely visible in between the A ring and the F ring, which is the thin ring located furthest from Saturn, as the fainter dot close to the A ring. Atlas is closer to the bottom of the image. A bright star also appears in the gap between the two rings, and there are six other stars visible (one through the C ring, near the planet).
This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 49 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on December 20, 2012.
The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 840,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 105 degrees. Image scale is 48 miles (77 kilometers) per pixel.
Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Saturn's small moons Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus keep each other company in this Cassini spacecraft image of the planet's night side. It seems fitting that they should do so since in Greek mythology, their namesakes were brothers.
Prometheus (53 miles, or 86 kilometers across) is just inside the F ring in this image, while Epimetheus (70 miles, or 113 kilometers across) is farther from the rings, due right of Prometheus in this image. Atlas (19 miles, or 30 kilometers across) is between the A and F rings almost right below Epimetheus and is very faint.
This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 30 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on September 19, 2012.
The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 96 degrees. Image scale is 80 miles (128 kilometers) per pixel. Epimetheus has been brightened by a factor of 1.5 and Atlas' brightness has been enhanced by a factor of 3 relative to the rings and Prometheus to improve visibility.
Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
The Cassini spacecraft looks past Saturn's main rings to spy the tiny moon Atlas, which orbits between the main rings and the thin F ring.
The main rings are closer to the spacecraft than Atlas is, and the moon appears as only a small, white dot in the center of the image. This view looks toward the northern, sunlit side of the rings from just above the ringplane. See PIA08906 and PIA08405 for other views of Atlas (19 miles, 30 kilometers across).
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 16, 2012. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 870,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) from Atlas. Image scale is 5 miles (8 kilometers) per pixel.
Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Six of Saturn's moons orbiting within and beyond the planet's rings are collected in this Cassini spacecraft image.
Enceladus (504 kilometers, or 313 miles across) is the largest moon in this image and appears at the bottom. Janus (179 kilometers, or 111 miles across) orbits beyond the rings near the center of the image. Epimetheus (113 kilometers, or 70 miles across) orbits beyond the rings near the top of the image. Atlas (30 kilometers, or 19 miles across) appears as a tiny speck between the main rings and the thin F ring on the right. Daphnis (8 kilometers, or 5 miles across), which orbits in the narrow Keeler Gap of the A ring, appears as a small, bright speck on the left of the image. Pan (28 kilometers, or 17 miles across), which orbits in the Encke Gap of the A ring, also appears as a bright speck on the left of the image. Daphnis is farther to the left of the image than Pan.
Although Enceladus appears to be in the foreground here, that moon, at a distance of 3.1 million kilometers (1.9 million miles), is actually farthest away from Cassini in this image. Janus is 3 million kilometers (1.9 million miles) from the spacecraft. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 2.8 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from Epimetheus.
The rings lie between Janus and Epimetheus. This view looks toward the southern, unilluminated side of the rings from about 2 degrees below the ringplane.
Enceladus is a very reflective body. To enhance visibility, the other moons and the rings have been brightened by a factor of 3.4 relative to Enceladus.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on October 6, 2010. Image scale is approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles) per pixel on Enceladus, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) per pixel on Janus and about 17 kilometers (11 miles) per pixel on Epimetheus.
Photo credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
A quartet of Saturn's moons are shown with a sliver of the rings in this Cassini spacecraft view.
From left to right in this image are Epimetheus (113 kilometers, or 70 miles across), Janus (179 kilometers, or 111 miles across), Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across) and Atlas (30 kilometers, or 19 miles across).
This view looks toward the northern, sunlit side of the rings from just above the ringplane.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 27, 2010. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (808,000 miles) from Janus, Prometheus and Atlas. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (746,000 miles) from Epimetheus. Image scale is 8 kilometers (5 miles) per pixel on Janus, Prometheus and Atlas. Image scale is 7 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel on Epimetheus.
Photo credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
