NASA Cassini Spacecraft Provides New View of Saturn and Earth

[czokletmuss]

NASA has released a natural color image of Saturn from space, the first in which Saturn, its moons and rings, and Earth, Venus and Mars, all are visible.

The new panoramic mosaic of the majestic Saturn system taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which shows the view as it would be seen by human eyes, was unveiled at the Newseum in Washington on Tuesday.

Cassini's imaging team processed 141 wide-angle images to create the panorama. The image sweeps 404,880 miles (651,591 kilometers) across Saturn and its inner ring system, including all of Saturn's rings out to the E ring, which is Saturn's second outermost ring. For perspective, the distance between Earth and our moon would fit comfortably inside the span of the E ring.

"In this one magnificent view, Cassini has delivered to us a universe of marvels," said Carolyn Porco, Cassini's imaging team lead at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. "And it did so on a day people all over the world, in unison, smiled in celebration at the sheer joy of being alive on a pale blue dot."

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/november/nasa-cassini-spacecraft-provides-new-view-of-saturn-and-earth/#.UoNKKeKp47c

Link to the image(s): http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/pia17172

[Tech Support]

beautiful !, now when they say 'natural color image' does that mean that if were to be in a spacecraft at that position, this is what my eyes would see ? I have always been confused as to which space photos are enhanced and which are not.

[Scotius]

This screenshot is too dark, dang it! They should wait until probe was on day side of the planet

[SuperFastJellyfish]

beautiful !, now when they say 'natural color image' does that mean that if were to be in a spacecraft at that position, this is what my eyes would see ? I have always been confused as to which space photos are enhanced and which are not.

Yes, natural color is what you would see if you were there.

This screenshot is too dark, dang it! They should wait until probe was on day side of the planet

I'm pretty sure this image was taken so Earth would be in the shot(it needs to be on the night side). I recall some sort of 'wave at Saturn' project where they told the public when Cassini was taking their picture so we could wave at it.

Edit: I just finished reading the article. 'The mosaic is part of Cassini's "Wave at Saturn" campaign, where on July 19, people for the first time had advance notice a spacecraft was taking their picture from planetary distances. NASA invited the public to celebrate by finding Saturn in their part of the sky, waving at the ringed planet and sharing pictures over the Internet.'

Edited November 13, 2013 by SuperFastJellyfish

[NASI Director]

I've always found views from Saturn interesting. How cool would it be if we had views like this one day in KSP?

[Kilmeister]

Awsome Pic. New desktop background here at work