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Saturn on August 12, 2009 just after equinox. Credit: NASA
Here’s one of the first raw images of Saturn taken by the Cassini spacecraft just after equinox, on August 12, 2009. The planet sure looks naked without its rings! But not to fear, the rings are still there; we just can’t see them very well — only a thin line. That’s because the sun was shining directly straight-on at the rings at Saturn’s equinox, and the spacecraft was in the right place, too. Equinox occurs every half-Saturn-year which is equivalent to about 15 Earth years. The illumination geometry that accompanies equinox lowers the sun’s angle to the ringplane and causes out-of-plane structures and some moons to cast long shadows across the rings. The ring shadows themselves have become a rapidly narrowing band cast onto the planet. Below, see another image with the rings visible as the spacecraft changed its angle.
Saturn's rings at equinox. Credit: NASA
Check out more raw images from the equinox here.
About Nancy Atkinson
Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast and works with the Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.
