21 April 2009
Big Picture: Cassini's Extended Mission
Posted by Ryan Anderson
The Big Picture, the Boston Globe’s photojournalism blog, does it again! This week they have a spectacular set of images of Saturn and its sattellites from the Cassini extended mission. Well worth a look. I especially liked the images showing Saturn’s upper atmosphere acting like a lens, causing the rings to apparently bend as they approach the planet. Did you know that the Earth’s atmosphere does the same thing? Sunrise and sunset happen slightly earlier and slightly later than you would expect, because the Earth’s atmosphere bends the sun’s light slightly.
So there you have it, your daily trivia. Now, follow the link and get your daily dose of spectacular space photos.
OK I have a bunch of questions that should keep you busy ‘splainin’ to us. How does a Jovian equinox work? Start by reviewing how one on earth works. #5 Photo What are we seeing here? Rhea in front of Titan in front of the Sun? How many moons does this planet have, anyway? How long does it take for info from Casini to come to Earth? Is it just a matter of a few minutes? A week? What is a “shepard moon”? Why is Prometheus one? What point of view makes and eclipse? See Photo #10 and explain this to us. Please help, I am lost in the darkness.