Saturn Then and Now: 30 Years Since Voyager Visit

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The day NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft made its closest approach to Saturn, it revealed the kinks in one of Saturn's narrowest rings (left). Images from the Cassini spacecraft (right) finally allowed scientists to understand how Saturn's moons Prometheus and Pandora sculpt the ring's kinked shape.

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Scientists first saw these transient clouds of tiny particles known as "spokes" in images from NASA's Voyager spacecraft. An electrostatic charge appears to be levitating tiny ring particles above the ring plane, but scientists are still figuring out how the particles get that charge as they analyze images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Because of Cassini’s extended journey around Saturn, scientists have found explanations for many of the mysteries first seen by Voyager. Cassini has uncovered a mechanism to explain the new terrain on Enceladus – tiger stripe fissures with jets of water vapor and organic particles. It revealed that Titan indeed does have stable lakes of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface and showed just how similar to Earth that moon really is. Data from Cassini have also resolved how two small moons discovered by Voyager – Prometheus and Pandora – tug on the F ring to create its kinked shape and wakes that form snowballs.

Because of Cassini’s extended journey around Saturn, scientists have found explanations for many of the mysteries first seen by Voyager. Cassini has uncovered a mechanism to explain the new terrain on Enceladus – tiger stripe fissures with jets of water vapor and organic particles. It revealed that Titan indeed does have stable lakes of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface and showed just how similar to Earth that moon really is. Data from Cassini have also resolved how two small moons discovered by Voyager – Prometheus and Pandora – tug on the F ring to create its kinked shape and wakes that form snowballs.

Voyager 1, which was launched on Sept. 5, 1977, is currently about 17 billion kilometers (11 billion miles) away from the sun. It is the most distant spacecraft. Voyager 2, which was launched on Aug. 20, 1977, is currently about 14 billion kilometers (9 billion miles) away from the sun.

Saturn Then and Now

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I think it's pretty amazing how much we have advanced in space exploration. I'm only 22, and I feel great that, with god willing, I will be here to experience more.

I also find Saturn to be one of the most mysterious planets.

There is a very great thread here on ATS (one of many) talking about Saturn's Rings, and what creates them. I'll try to find that thread, and post it. Check out the link for more photo's.

NASA Ring Makers of Saturn

reply to post by Oozii


Good work Oozii - there's definitely something going on with Saturn they are not telling us...

..but that's not new really is it?

Thank god we can think for ourselves

Originally posted by watchZEITGEISTnow
reply to post by Oozii

 

Good work Oozii - there's definitely something going on with Saturn they are not telling us...

..but that's not new really is it?

Thank god we can think for ourselves

edit on 13-11-2010 by watchZEITGEISTnow because: (no reason given)

Thank you watchZEITGEISTnow. Who knows the things we are not being told. I can only imagine. And that's nothing new either.