NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Captures Backlit View of Saturn

Posted on December 22, 2012

NASA's Cassini spacecraft shared this stunning new image of Saturn. Cassini's cameras were turned toward Saturn and the sun so that the planet and rings are backlit. NASA explains in a release that "The sun is behind the planet, which is shielding the cameras from direct sunlight."

Saturn's moons, Enceladus and Tethys, can be seen in the image as small dots on the left side of the image, beneath Saturn's rings. You can see a larger version of the image here.

NASA says the last time Cassini captured a view like this was in Sept. 2006, when it captured a mosaic processed to look like natural color, entitled "In Saturn's Shadow." You can view the 2006 image here.

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