Smile! Cassini sets up photo of Earth-starts at 21:27 GMT and ends at 21:42 GMT

19 July 2013 Last updated at 09:43 GMT

Smile! Cassini sets up photo of Earth

The world is being asked to look up on Friday and smile in the direction of the ringed planet, Saturn.

The Cassini probe, in orbit around the gas giant, is going to take a picture of Earth, and the imaging team wants everyone to wave and smile.

Because of the great distance to Saturn, our home will appear as a mere pixel in the final photo.

But Cassini scientist Carolyn Porco says it is a moment to "celebrate life on the Pale Blue Dot".

"Waving time" - the period when the spacecraft's cameras will be operating - starts at 21:27 GMT and ends at 21:42 GMT (22:27-22:42 BST).

www.bbc.co.uk...

www.latimes.com...

saturn.jpl.nasa.gov...

www.ustream.tv...

thanks OP
NAMASTE*******

Considering Saturn will be towards my East, and just shy above the horizon, it kinda sucks knowing my window of opportunity to wave and say "sheeze" will be blocked by all the damn buildings that are in the way.

I'm in L.A., (PST), so I'll need to get my @$$ on top of one of said buildings in a few hours and wave and jump up and down so Cassini will capture my wackiness forever.

Thanks for the info OP! I'll be sure to keep you in mind while I'm going crazy!

Dang, if the weather were better I might have tried to image Saturn at the same time (yeah it'd be a daylight shot, but it can be done). Oh well, I do have a backup plan for times like this, it might be worth a shot...

50 min left ..

reply to post by the_philth


smile in spirit may it be larger smile then your physical

Originally posted by the_philth
Considering Saturn will be towards my East, and just shy above the horizon, it kinda sucks knowing my window of opportunity to wave and say "sheeze" will be blocked by all the damn buildings that are in the way.

I'm in L.A., (PST), so I'll need to get my @$$ on top of one of said buildings in a few hours and wave and jump up and down so Cassini will capture my wackiness forever.

Thanks for the info OP! I'll be sure to keep you in mind while I'm going crazy!

Wait a second ! Is this camera actually going to capture clear enough shots for someone to be seen waving ? Im comfused.

Originally posted by blackmetalmist

Originally posted by the_philth
Considering Saturn will be towards my East, and just shy above the horizon, it kinda sucks knowing my window of opportunity to wave and say "sheeze" will be blocked by all the damn buildings that are in the way.

I'm in L.A., (PST), so I'll need to get my @$$ on top of one of said buildings in a few hours and wave and jump up and down so Cassini will capture my wackiness forever.

Thanks for the info OP! I'll be sure to keep you in mind while I'm going crazy!

Wait a second ! Is this camera actually going to capture clear enough shots for someone to be seen waving ? Im comfused.

For the chronologically-impaired, that's 5:27 PM to 5:42 PM in the U.S. Eastern timezone.

It will be still be daylight, and you won't be able to see Saturn, but it would still be there in the sky.

During that time, Saturn will be:

- Generally south-southeast (SSE) for most of the U.S. east coast
- At about 30° to 33° above the horizon -- or about 1/3 of the way from the horizon to "straight up" (to zenith).

Go outside in about 40 minutes (5:30-ish Eastern Time). Look that direction, and smile for the camera.


I suppose it makes sense that it will be daylight for most people who will have Saturn above their horizon at the time of the picture. For Cassini to see the Earth, it would have to take a picture of its lit side.

Basically a waste of time.

Might make some people happy to think it amounts to something. I usually just go out at night an wave to the spacemen driving the UFOs.

reply to post by MariaLida


Cassini is 1.44 billion km far away, but if we all waving who knows

Originally posted by roadgravel
Basically a waste of time.

Might make some people happy to think it amounts to something. I usually just go out at night an wave to the spacemen driving the UFOs.

Party pooper.

You have absolutely no joie de vivre whatsoever.

Hopefully, the raw images will appear soon at saturn.jpl.nasa.gov...

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People

Originally posted by roadgravel
Basically a waste of time.

Might make some people happy to think it amounts to something. I usually just go out at night an wave to the spacemen driving the UFOs.

Party pooper.

You have absolutely no joie de vivre whatsoever.

edit on 7/19/2013 by Soylent Green Is People because: (no reason given)

Haha. Does sound that way. I'll go out and wave just in case something weird happens. Wouldn't want to have to say I didn't help.

Originally posted by blackmetalmist

Originally posted by the_philth
Considering Saturn will be towards my East, and just shy above the horizon, it kinda sucks knowing my window of opportunity to wave and say "sheeze" will be blocked by all the damn buildings that are in the way.

I'm in L.A., (PST), so I'll need to get my @$$ on top of one of said buildings in a few hours and wave and jump up and down so Cassini will capture my wackiness forever.

Thanks for the info OP! I'll be sure to keep you in mind while I'm going crazy!

Wait a second ! Is this camera actually going to capture clear enough shots for someone to be seen waving ? Im comfused.

I love you!!!

@SoylentGreenIsPeople What about us in Europe, can we see Saturn in mentioned time???

Originally posted by roadgravel

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People

Originally posted by roadgravel
Basically a waste of time.

Might make some people happy to think it amounts to something. I usually just go out at night an wave to the spacemen driving the UFOs.

Party pooper.

You have absolutely no joie de vivre whatsoever.

edit on 7/19/2013 by Soylent Green Is People because: (no reason given)

Haha. Does sound that way. I'll go out and wave just in case something weird happens. Wouldn't want to have to say I didn't help.

The idea of waving is just basically a PR stunt -- HOWEVER, it does help raise public awareness of Cassini and its mission.

I liken it to the penny on the Mars Curiosity Rover. The presence of the Penny is Mostly symbolic because that's a common "found item" that geologist uses out in the field when photographing rocks and want some sort of informal scale in the photo. Obviously, a more scientific graduated scale should be used (and is included on Curiosity, along with the penny), but the penny is there as a bit of a public relations thing -- it helps to humanize Curiosity's mission.

Curiosity also has an drawing of a cartoon alien on it called "Joe the Martian", which is another act of public relations, but aimed towards kids and education.

Originally posted by zilebeliveunknown

Originally posted by blackmetalmist

Originally posted by the_philth
Considering Saturn will be towards my East, and just shy above the horizon, it kinda sucks knowing my window of opportunity to wave and say "sheeze" will be blocked by all the damn buildings that are in the way.

I'm in L.A., (PST), so I'll need to get my @$$ on top of one of said buildings in a few hours and wave and jump up and down so Cassini will capture my wackiness forever.

Thanks for the info OP! I'll be sure to keep you in mind while I'm going crazy!

Wait a second ! Is this camera actually going to capture clear enough shots for someone to be seen waving ? Im comfused.

I love you!!!

@SoylentGreenIsPeople What about us in Europe, can we see Saturn in mentioned time???

Well I just took this shot of Saturn while remote controlling a telescope in Spain, so I would say the answer is "yes" for most of you in Europe.

img842.imageshack.us...

Live now! Hear CassiniSaturn's team

www.ustream.tv...

events.slooh.com...

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People

Ya, I know it was to make people aware of the effort and to help keep the public in favor of space exploration.

Too bad most of the people who will be aware of this event are already backers of space exploration.

Originally posted by zilebeliveunknown

Originally posted by blackmetalmist

Originally posted by the_philth
Considering Saturn will be towards my East, and just shy above the horizon, it kinda sucks knowing my window of opportunity to wave and say "sheeze" will be blocked by all the damn buildings that are in the way.

I'm in L.A., (PST), so I'll need to get my @$$ on top of one of said buildings in a few hours and wave and jump up and down so Cassini will capture my wackiness forever.

Thanks for the info OP! I'll be sure to keep you in mind while I'm going crazy!

Wait a second ! Is this camera actually going to capture clear enough shots for someone to be seen waving ? Im comfused.

I love you!!!

@SoylentGreenIsPeople What about us in Europe, can we see Saturn in mentioned time???

I just plugged "Paris" into stellarium, and it looks like it will just be setting in the SW about that time.