Photos: New ring around Saturn

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  • Saturn's new ring

    Saturn's new ring

    The Cassini spacecraft begins the second half of its mission by finding a faint ring around the planet Saturn. The ring, noted by the cross in the photo, lies in the orbits of the moon's Janus and Epimetheus. The new ring was visible as the sun illuminated the planet from behind.

    Following are interesting photos and discoveries made by Cassini in the last few weeks. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Earth

    Earth

    The tiny bluish dot is Earth as seen from Saturn.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Fingers of icy materials reach tens of thousands of kilometers outward from Saturn's moon Enceladus into the E ring. This is likely a trail of particles ejected by geysers on Enceladus.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Saturn's shadow

    Saturn's shadow

    The rings of Saturn are darkened by the planet's shadow.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Titan

    Titan

    The Cassini spacecraft unlocks new mysteries as it scoots by Titan every few months. In January 2005, Cassini launched the Huygens probe which made a successful landing on the surface of Titan.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Crater on Titan

    Crater on Titan

    This impact crater on Titan is about 19 miles across. Craters such as this one give scientists a chance to study the structure beneath the crust of Titan's surface. In this crater the dark floor indicates smooth or highly absorbing materials.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Dunes on Titan

    Dunes on Titan

    These dunes have been discovered in the equatorial region of Titan. Not much is known about them.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Water from Enceladus

    Water from Enceladus

    The Saturn moon Enceladus spits fountains of water into the atmosphere.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Moons on a string

    Moons on a string

    An older photo shows two of Saturn's moons, Prometheus (right) and Pandora along the F ring. Craters are clearly visible.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Helene

    Helene

    Helene, which is about 20 miles across, is a Trojan moon of Dione.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Dionne

    Dionne

    Giant canyons rip through ancient craters on the surface of Saturn's moon Dionne. In this image, the Sun overexposes the bottom of Dionne.

    Caption by: Andy Smith

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Moons on a string

An older photo shows two of Saturn's moons, Prometheus (right) and Pandora along the F ring. Craters are clearly visible.

Caption by: Andy Smith

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