Cassini's Eyes on Saturn

Just as Earth’s northern pole receives sunlight for 24 hr. during early summer, Cassini’s images show that Saturn’s north pole is similarly awash in light. The image was taken about 1.2 million mi. (1.9 million km) from Saturn with a wide-angle camera using a spectral filter that isolates near-infrared light. The moon Dione is visible to the lower left of the massive planet.

Some of Saturn’s rings comprise dust particles that scatter light in the direction the planet was initially traveling. That so-called forward scattering is pictured here by the rings that are glowing. Two of Saturn’s moons—Enceladus, left, and Janus—can be seen above the rings.

Saturn’s moon Enceladus is generally free of large impact craters. Cassini passed Enceladus by just 3,106 mi. (4,999 km) in December 2015 and will continue to watch over Saturn’s moons through the end of its mission in September 2017, although from farther away.

Two of Saturn’s moons—Tethys (in foreground) and Janus—differ primarily by size, although they are made up of nearly the same stuff, mostly water ice. The geology of Tethys, 600 mi. (1,062 km) across, is varied, with chasms, plains and arc-shaped features. Janus, just 111 mi. (179 km) across and shown here as the small dot below the rings, has an irregular shape. Its main geologic features were created by impact craters.

Saturn’s rings, pictured edge-on in this image, serve as a backdrop to Tethys, one of the planet’s many moons.