Cassini-Huygens

Update, December 1st. Visit the Cassini Imaging Diary for some great ring shots. The probe into Titan's atmosphere is almost ready to drop. The science from this mission is already revolutionizing our thinking about the two great objects in our system, but with this probe we will finally get confirmation of the makeup of this enigmatic and fascinating world.

Cassini Spacecraft Orbits Saturn, July 2004

A couple of years ago, a consortium led by NASA launched the Cassini spacecraft with the express goal of taking a close look at Saturn. It swung by Jupiter for a gravity boost and took some amazing photos, then chased after Saturn and intersected the rings in July. The images diary is called the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerationS, CICLOPS for short. Links to the website appear below.

The Cassini Imaging Diary

Saturn Arrival
July 2004 - Find the above Saturn picture here and many stunning pictures of the ring system.

Approach to Saturn
June 2004 - Closeups of Titan and Phoebe. Long-range shots of the rings.

Beyond Jupiter
December 2003 - Saturn is becoming visible. Detail and color are showing.

Jupiter Encounter
November 2003 - If you get nothing else, download the "Greatest Jupiter Portrait" from from the Jupiter Encounter page. I got the half-sized one for my computer wallpaper. It's mesmerizing. Also see the Io Transit to get a real idea of the scale (Io's diameter is 3,600 km. Earth's is 12,700 km.) Jupiter is huge.

Earth-Moon flyby
August 1999 - Say Goodnight, Earth.