Posted on 05/31/2012 5:57:23 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Known for its bright ring system and many moons, gas giant Saturn looks strange and unfamiliar in this false-color view from the Cassini spacecraft. In fact, in this Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) mosaic the famous rings are almost invisible, seen edge-on cutting across picture center. The most striking contrast in the image is along the terminator or boundary between night and day. To the right (day side) blue-green hues are visible sunlight reflected from Saturn's cloud tops. But on the left (night side) in the absence of sunlight, the lantern-like glow of infrared radiation from the planet's warm interior silhouettes features at Saturn's deeper cloud levels. The infrared glow also shines from the broad shadows of Saturn's rings sweeping across the planet's upper hemisphere.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: VIMS Team, U. Arizona, ESA, NASA]
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If you haven’t seen Saturn through a telescope, now is a good time to do so. Find out when your nearest astronomy club is holding their next observing session. I’ve introduced Saturn to many and their comments at first sight have never let me down. Yes, it is that beautiful.
Absolutely Beautiful.
But VERY inhospitable! :-)
“Nights in blue Saturn
Never reaching the end
Letters I’ve written
Never meanin’ to send”
The Moody Blues
My then teen-age son set up his telescope one night and I gasped when I first viewed Saturn. It is that beautiful.
You should be spanked on Uranus for that one.
Nice. Haven’t talked at ya’ll for a while. Been busy. In fact...
I was in a pub on Saturday night. Had a few....
I noticed two large women by the bar.
They both had strong accents so I asked, “Hey, are
you two ladies from Scotland ?”
One of them chirped: “It’s WALES you friggin’ idiot!”
So, I immediately apologized and said..., “Sorry, are
you two whales from Scotland ?”
That’s the last thing I remember...
It’s nice to see you, Freddie. Busy at work? That would be really cool.
At least the two whales (I should talk) didn’t kill you all the way.
LOL!
Thanks.
:’)
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