Categories: Saturn

Saturn’s Rings in Blue

I thought I’d highlight this recent Cassini image of Saturn, it’s just so cool looking. What you’re seeing is a view of Saturn from high above the planet’s northern latitudes, providing nearly a full view of the main rings, from the C ring to the A ring.

Why are the rings blue? Cassini captured this image in three different wavelengths of infrared light, and then they were matched on computer to the colours red, green and blue. So, this isn’t what you’d see with your eyes, but it helps reveal subtle differences on the planet and its rings.

The image was captured on April 5, 2007 when Cassini was approximately 1.4 million kilometers (900,000 miles) from Saturn.

Original Source: NASA/JPL/SSI News Release

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast with Dr. Pamela Gay. Here's a link to my Mastodon account.

Recent Posts

The Universe Could Be Filled With Ultralight Black Holes That Can't Die

Steven Hawking famously calculated that black holes should evaporate, converting into particles and energy over…

5 hours ago

Starlink on Mars? NASA Is Paying SpaceX to Look Into the Idea

NASA has given the go-ahead for SpaceX to work out a plan to adapt its…

19 hours ago

Did You Hear Webb Found Life on an Exoplanet? Not so Fast…

The JWST is astronomers' best tool for probing exoplanet atmospheres. Its capable instruments can dissect…

1 day ago

Vera Rubin’s Primary Mirror Gets its First Reflective Coating

First light for the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) is quickly approaching and the telescope is…

1 day ago

Two Stars in a Binary System are Very Different. It's Because There Used to be Three

A beautiful nebula in the southern hemisphere with a binary star at it's center seems…

2 days ago

The Highest Observatory in the World Comes Online

The history of astronomy and observatories is full of stories about astronomers going higher and…

2 days ago