NASA's Cassini mission data is still helping scientists understand the rings of Saturn – Firstpost
5 years, 9 months ago

NASA's Cassini mission data is still helping scientists understand the rings of Saturn – Firstpost

Firstpost  

Cassini was in space for 20 years and has provided information that scientists are still studying and understanding. When Cassini moved closer to Saturn in its final year, it observed intricate details on the rings of Saturn. “The new observations give scientists an even more intimate view of the rings than they had before, and each examination reveals new complexities,” said Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker, based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. All the observations that Cassini provided are still helping scientists understand Saturn, its rings, and moons but also the solar system on the whole. The probe was handled by three agencies — NASA, European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency as well as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Caltech, USA.

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History of this topic

A planet on the edge: are Saturn’s rings older than they look?
1 month, 1 week ago

A planet on the edge: are Saturn’s rings older than they look?

The Hindu  

A debate about the age of Saturn’s resplendent rings has been raging for a few decades now, with no end in sight. Based on this, scientists hypothesised that Saturn’s rings are relatively new, only around 100 million years old — too young to have accumulated the dust. “Therefore there is a greater chance of a big, dynamical event happening then …

Saturn's rings evolved from the debris of two moons, study finds
1 year, 5 months ago

Saturn's rings evolved from the debris of two moons, study finds

Daily Mail  

Since it was first seen through a telescope, Saturn's rings have mystified astronomers. Dr Vincent Eke, from Durham University, said: 'We tested a hypothesis for the recent formation of Saturn's rings and have found that an impact of icy moons is able to send enough material near to Saturn to form the rings that we see now. Saturn's rings today …

How Saturn got its rings: Simulations suggest they evolved from the debris of two moons which collided a few hundred million years ago
1 year, 6 months ago

How Saturn got its rings: Simulations suggest they evolved from the debris of two moons which collided a few hundred million years ago

Daily Mail  

Since it was first seen through a telescope, Saturn's rings have mystified astronomers. A new series of supercomputer simulations suggests a massive collision between two icy moons a few hundred million years ago could have led to their formation. But a team of researchers now believe they have figured out the origins of the mystical loops A new series of …

Why does Saturn have rings and Jupiter doesn't? A computer model may have figured it out
2 years, 8 months ago

Why does Saturn have rings and Jupiter doesn't? A computer model may have figured it out

Salon  

Jupiter, the fifth planet in our solar system and by far most massive, is a treasure trove of scientific discovery. RELATED: A giant planet may have "escaped" from our solar system, study finds With results that are currently online and will soon be published in the journal Planetary Science, researchers from the University of California–Riverside used modeling to determine that …

Saturn's Rings Act Like 'Mini Solar System': Astronomer's Animated Depiction Reveals New Details
3 years, 11 months ago

Saturn's Rings Act Like 'Mini Solar System': Astronomer's Animated Depiction Reveals New Details

News 18  

Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system, adorned with beautiful ringlets. According to a Business Insider report, Saturn’s rings are like a ‘mini solar system.’ The report mentioned Japan’s space agency, JAXA’splanetary scientist James O’Donoghue, who said, “In a way, the ring system is like a mini solar system." O’Donoghue, who makes spatial animations about physics and the …

What’s happening inside Saturn’s rings? The Cassini mission dove between them to find out
5 years, 9 months ago

What’s happening inside Saturn’s rings? The Cassini mission dove between them to find out

CNN  

CNN — During the final year of NASA’s Cassini mission before it completed a “death dive” into Saturn’s atmosphere in 2017, the spacecraft gathered as much data as possible about the planet’s rings. “These new details of how the moons are sculpting the rings in various ways provide a window into solar system formation, where you also have disks evolving …

Saturn spent almost an entire existence solo, before getting its stunning rings
6 years, 2 months ago

Saturn spent almost an entire existence solo, before getting its stunning rings

Firstpost  

Saturn’s primary rings appear to be just 10 million to 100 million years old, a new study has found. An Italian-led team reported on 17 January in the journal Science that Saturn’s primary rings appear to be just 10 million to 100 million years old. The findings are based on data collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft while repeatedly diving between …

Scientists: Saturn spent billions of years without its rings
6 years, 2 months ago

Scientists: Saturn spent billions of years without its rings

Associated Press  

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Saturn may have flown solo for billions of years — almost its entire existence — before getting its stunning set of rings, a new study suggests. An Italian-led team reported Thursday in the journal Science that Saturn’s primary rings appear to be just 10 million to 100 million years old. The findings are based on data …

Saturn’s beauty is fleeting (Opinion)
6 years, 3 months ago

Saturn’s beauty is fleeting (Opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Don Lincoln is a senior scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. While we do not generally think of astronomical phenomena as short-lived, new NASA research has found that one of the most breathtakingly beautiful features of our solar system may well be surprisingly ephemeral: Saturn’s rings. Saturn’s magnetic field is the second strongest in the solar system, and …

Scientists discover 10,000kg of hail pours down from Saturn's rings every second
6 years, 5 months ago

Scientists discover 10,000kg of hail pours down from Saturn's rings every second

Daily Mail  

The rings of Saturn are raining down up to 10,000 kg of frozen material on the gas giant every second. Scientists now believe, thanks to data from the Cassini mission, that up to 10,000 kg of frozen material on the gas giant every second 'Turns out, ring rain is more like a ring downpour,' said Dr. Hunter Waite, the paper's …

WHAT DID CASSINI DISCOVER DURING ITS 20-YEAR MISSION IN
7 years, 1 month ago

WHAT DID CASSINI DISCOVER DURING ITS 20-YEAR MISSION IN

Daily Mail  

Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1997, then spent seven years in transit followed by 13 years orbiting Saturn. An artist's impression of the Cassini spacecraft studying Saturn In 2000 it spent six months studying Jupiter before reaching Saturn in 2004. In that time, it discovered six more moons around Saturn, three-dimensional structures towering above Saturn's rings, and a …

Cassini may be dead, but a new era of Saturn science has just begun
7 years, 3 months ago

Cassini may be dead, but a new era of Saturn science has just begun

LA Times  

NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn may have came to a fiery end in September, but observations made by the spacecraft in its final months still have plenty to teach us about the mysteries of the ringed planet. “Saturn’s ionosphere is much more complicated than anyone could imagine.” After traveling in the Saturn system for nearly 13 years, Cassini launched on …

What Cassini learned about Saturn during its death dive
7 years, 5 months ago

What Cassini learned about Saturn during its death dive

CNN  

Story highlights Data from Cassini's final dive reveal new information about Saturn's atmosphere Cassini observations confirmed that moons hold Saturn's rings in place CNN — Although NASA’s Cassini mission ended in September, new findings are being released about what the spacecraft “learned” about Saturn and its moons during the final days. When Cassini sank into Saturn’s upper atmosphere, it was …

NASA releases image of the dark side of Saturn captured by the Cassini Spacecraft
7 years, 5 months ago

NASA releases image of the dark side of Saturn captured by the Cassini Spacecraft

Firstpost  

Till another mission is sent to Saturn, the observations and images captured by Cassini will be the last data set available to scientists. Probes, such as the Cassini mission by NASA, ESA and ASI allow researchers to image Saturn from the far side, as well as capture data using the various scientific instruments on board. Till another mission is sent …

20 things we learned from Cassini's 20-year journey
7 years, 6 months ago

20 things we learned from Cassini's 20-year journey

The Hindu  

After a remarkable journey of 20 years, NASA's lone mission to Staurn, the Cassini spacecraft, ended its journey on September 15 by disintegrating in the skies above the planet. What Titan's surface looks like Cassini, in its journey to map Saturn’s world, also had a passenger — an entry probe called Huygens which managed to land on the planet’s biggest …

Cassini completes its mission by burning up in the Saturnian atmosphere: All you need to know about the spacecraft
7 years, 6 months ago

Cassini completes its mission by burning up in the Saturnian atmosphere: All you need to know about the spacecraft

Firstpost  

On 15 September 2017, at about 5:30 PM IST, Cassini completed its 20 year mission during the course of which it achieved a number of scientific breakthroughs. Cassini has discovered 7 previously unknown moons of Saturn during the course of its mission, including the “waverider” moon, Daphnis, which causes ripples in the rings of Saturn that are kilometres long. NASA …

Cassini, NASA’s 13-year Saturn mission, has ended
7 years, 6 months ago

Cassini, NASA’s 13-year Saturn mission, has ended

CNN  

Story highlights After more than a decade spent in the Saturn system, the Cassini mission is over It deliberately crashed into Saturn to protect the integrity of Saturn's moons for future study CNN — Contact has been lost with the Cassini spacecraft after it completed a “death dive” into the upper atmosphere of Saturn and transmitted its final signal, according …

As Nasa sends Cassini spacecraft to a spectacular death on Saturn, scientists describe delight and pride with mission
7 years, 6 months ago

As Nasa sends Cassini spacecraft to a spectacular death on Saturn, scientists describe delight and pride with mission

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Cassini has turned the moons of Saturn from dots of light into places, from Huygens landing on …

Nasa's 13-year old mission Cassini-Huygens mission to take its final dive into Saturn on 15 September
7 years, 6 months ago

Nasa's 13-year old mission Cassini-Huygens mission to take its final dive into Saturn on 15 September

Firstpost  

Cassini’s final manoeuvres begin at 0714 GMT on Friday, although the signal will only reach Nasa 86 minutes later. Nasa’s Cassini probe is counting its final hours before one last plunge into Saturn on Friday that will cap a fruitful 13-year mission that greatly expanded knowledge about the gas giant. “The Cassini mission has been packed full of scientific firsts, …

Cassini spacecraft’s 13-year Saturn mission ends Friday
7 years, 6 months ago

Cassini spacecraft’s 13-year Saturn mission ends Friday

CNN  

Story highlights The NASA Cassini mission ends Friday after 13 years observing the Saturn system Cassini data has revealed groundbreaking discoveries about Saturn and its moons CNN — Prepare to say goodbye to Cassini. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Saturn's moons Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas are shown in this image taken by the Cassini spacecraft on December 3, 2015. See Cassini's top …

Nasa prepares to slam Cassini spacecraft into Saturn to protect planet from alien invasion
7 years, 7 months ago

Nasa prepares to slam Cassini spacecraft into Saturn to protect planet from alien invasion

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nasa is about to fly its Cassini spacecraft into Saturn, destroying it in …

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft nears a fiery, brutal end, when it will plunge into Saturn
7 years, 7 months ago

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft nears a fiery, brutal end, when it will plunge into Saturn

LA Times  

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has explored the Saturn system since 2004. After 13 years of observing Saturn, its rings and its myriad moons, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is less than three weeks away from a fiery, brutal end. “It will be trailblazing until the very last second.” Earth-bound astronomers will keep a close eye on the planet at the moment of Cassini’s …

Fly through Saturn’s rings with Cassini — while it still can
7 years, 7 months ago

Fly through Saturn’s rings with Cassini — while it still can

LA Times  

NASA’s Cassini is making its final dives around Saturn. Even in its final dives around Saturn, NASA ’s Cassini spacecraft is still sending us remarkable new views of this gorgeous gas giant. The GIF below is made of 21 images taken by Cassini’s wide-angle camera over roughly four minutes as the spacecraft flew through the gap between Saturn’s innermost ring …

Cassini spacecraft sends back stunning images and data as it prepares to crash into Saturn
7 years, 8 months ago

Cassini spacecraft sends back stunning images and data as it prepares to crash into Saturn

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Nasa release stunning video detailing Cassini spacecraft's final journey Before that, however, the ship is still conducting …

NASA's 2004 Cassini spacecraft observes solstice arriving at Saturn and its moons for the first time
7 years, 10 months ago

NASA's 2004 Cassini spacecraft observes solstice arriving at Saturn and its moons for the first time

Firstpost  

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has reached a new milestone as it observed Saturn’s solstice arriving at the planet and its moons this week Washington: NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has reached a new milestone as it observed Saturn’s solstice — that is, the longest day of summer in its northern hemisphere and the shortest day of winter in its southern hemisphere — arriving …

Nasa's Cassini beams back images of Rhea and Titan from second "Grand Finale" dive
7 years, 10 months ago

Nasa's Cassini beams back images of Rhea and Titan from second "Grand Finale" dive

Firstpost  

Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft has beamed back images from its second “Grand Finale” dive between Saturn and its rings. Even though Cassini found mostly empty space between Saturn and its rings in the initial dive, the dish shaped communications antenna was used as a shield in the second dive as well, and Cassini was out of contact with Earth during the …

Cassini finds 'the big empty' close to Saturn: NASA
7 years, 10 months ago

Cassini finds 'the big empty' close to Saturn: NASA

China Daily  

LOS ANGELES -- Scientists are baffled by the relatively dust-free space in the approximately 2,000 km-wide region between Saturn and its rings. This assessment is based on data collected by spacecraft Cassini during its first dive through the narrow gap, according to the US space agency NASA. "The region between the rings and Saturn is 'the big empty,' apparently," Cassini …

Nasa’s Cassini sends first view from inside Saturn’s rings as finale starts
7 years, 11 months ago

Nasa’s Cassini sends first view from inside Saturn’s rings as finale starts

Live Mint  

Cape Canaveral, Florida: Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft sent the closest-ever images of Saturn on Thursday after surviving its first plunge inside the planet’s rings, the US space agency said. A stream of pictures showing Saturn’s swirling clouds, massive hurricane and odd six-sided vortex weather system were transmitted back to Earth by Cassini, which has been exploring Saturn for 13 years. The …

Nasa’s Cassini starts finale with first dive between Saturn’s rings
7 years, 11 months ago

Nasa’s Cassini starts finale with first dive between Saturn’s rings

Live Mint  

Washington: Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft has successful executed its historic first-ever dive through the narrow gap between the planet Saturn and its rings, marking the beginning of the ‘Grand Finale’ of the 20-year-long journey. “In the grandest tradition of exploration, Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft has once again blazed a trail, showing us new wonders and demonstrating where our curiosity can take us …

Cassini probe shoots through Saturn’s rings
7 years, 11 months ago

Cassini probe shoots through Saturn’s rings

CNN  

Story highlights The first of 22 weekly dives between Saturn's rings has been completed It marks the first time a man-made object has explored this region of space CNN — NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has successfully executed its daring dive through the 1,500-mile-wide gap between Saturn and its rings, the first time a man-made object has navigated through the icy halo …

Nasa's Cassini probe to dive into Saturn's rings for a scientific grand finale
7 years, 11 months ago

Nasa's Cassini probe to dive into Saturn's rings for a scientific grand finale

Firstpost  

Nasa is preparing to send its long-lived Cassini probe into the unexplored region between Saturn and its rings for a scientific grand finale before the spacecraft’s suicidal plunge into the planet, space officials said on Tuesday. Since arriving at Saturn in July 2004, Cassini has been exploring the giant planet and its entourage of 62 known moons, including enigmatic Titan, …

NASA's Cassini probe beams back first images from ring-grazing Saturn Orbit
8 years, 3 months ago

NASA's Cassini probe beams back first images from ring-grazing Saturn Orbit

Firstpost  

Soon after the Cassini orbiter successfully executed the first of its ring-grazing orbits, it beamed back photos of the northern hemisphere of Saturn. Soon after the Cassini orbiter successfully executed the first of its ring-grazing orbits, it beamed back photos of the northern hemisphere of Saturn, along with the hexagonal jet stream at Saturn’s pole. However, high resolution images of …

See pics! NASA's Cassini spacecraft captures first images of Saturn’s atmosphere from new orbit
8 years, 3 months ago

See pics! NASA's Cassini spacecraft captures first images of Saturn’s atmosphere from new orbit

India TV News  

US space agency NASA’s Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn has sent its first views of the planet’s atmosphere showing scenes from high above the planet's northern hemisphere, including an intriguing hexagon-shaped jet stream. Each of these week-long orbits - 20 in all - carries the spacecraft high above Saturn’s northern hemisphere before sending it skimming past the outer edges of the …

NASA's Cassini orbiter successfully completes first ring grazing maneuver around Saturn
8 years, 3 months ago

NASA's Cassini orbiter successfully completes first ring grazing maneuver around Saturn

Firstpost  

Cassini has made its first close dive across the plane of the rings of Saturn, passing just 91,000 kilometers above the methane clouds of the gas giant. The Cassini orbiter has made its first close dive across the plane of the rings of Saturn, passing just 91,000 kilometers above the methane clouds of the gas giant. Cassini had captured videos …

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is about to get a taste of Saturn’s rings
8 years, 4 months ago

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is about to get a taste of Saturn’s rings

LA Times  

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft stared at Saturn for nearly 44 hours on April 25­ to 27, 2016, to obtain this video showing just over four Saturn days. On Nov. 30, NASA’s Cassini mission will begin the ring-grazing final chapter of its career at Saturn, one that will end with the spacecraft’s terminal plunge into the gas giant’s unforgiving atmosphere. The second …

Cassini to explore rings of Saturn as it heads towards grand finale
8 years, 4 months ago

Cassini to explore rings of Saturn as it heads towards grand finale

ABC  

For more than a decade, the Cassini spacecraft has been exploring the system of Saturn, some 1.2 billion kilometres from Earth. In 2006, Cassini detected a faint new ring between the F and E rings, likely made of the dust produced when meteoroids hit Saturn's moons. Given a number of Saturn's moons are made predominantly of ice, Cassini scientists believe …

See Pic! NASA's Cassini spacecraft captures THIS incredible image of Saturn's smallest moon ‘Pan’
8 years, 6 months ago

See Pic! NASA's Cassini spacecraft captures THIS incredible image of Saturn's smallest moon ‘Pan’

India TV News  

The planet Saturn has a large number of moons. The moon ‘Pan’ orbits within the Encke Gap in Saturn's A Ring. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 2, 2016, that shows how this smallest moon holds open the Encke gap and shapes the ever-changing ringlets within the gap. NASA released this …

Video! NASA's Cassini gears up for closest-ever observations of Saturn
8 years, 6 months ago

Video! NASA's Cassini gears up for closest-ever observations of Saturn

India TV News  

After more than 12 years of studying Saturn, its rings and moons, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has entered the final year of its epic voyage. "During the F-ring orbits we expect to see the rings, along with the small moons and other structures embedded in them, as never before," said Linda Spilker, Cassini Project Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, …

What happened to one of Saturn’s rings?
8 years, 9 months ago

What happened to one of Saturn’s rings?

CNN  

Story highlights An interaction between objects caused a visible disruption in the planet's F ring NASA's Cassini mission, orbiting the planet since 2004, captured the disturbance CNN — Although it might look like a bit of smudgy celestial mischief, neither Pandora nor any of Saturn’s other moons is to blame for a recent disruption of one of the planet’s rings, …

NASA's Cassini spacecraft plunges through Saturn moon Enceladus' icy spray
9 years, 5 months ago

NASA's Cassini spacecraft plunges through Saturn moon Enceladus' icy spray

ABC  

NASA's unmanned Cassini spacecraft has survived its closest-ever dive through the icy spray coming from Saturn's moon Enceladus. The probe skimmed 49 kilometres above the moon's southern polar region, sampling and collecting data on the spray that is believed to emanate from a subterranean ocean. While the spacecraft is not equipped to detect life, scientists said they hoped the pass …

NASA finds most accurate position of Saturn, its moons
10 years, 2 months ago

NASA finds most accurate position of Saturn, its moons

India TV News  

Washington: NASA researchers have pinpointed the exact position of Saturn and its family of moons to within about four km - a feat that will improve astronomers' knowledge of Saturn's orbit and benefits spacecraft navigation and basic physics research. They paired NASA's Cassini spacecraft with the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array radio-telescope system to achieve this. The team …

Saturn in spectacular detail: Nasa's Cassini spacecraft pictures the planet as it continues its mission around the gas giant
10 years, 4 months ago

Saturn in spectacular detail: Nasa's Cassini spacecraft pictures the planet as it continues its mission around the gas giant

Daily Mail  

Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft, which has been in orbit around Saturn since 30 June 2004, has returned stunning new images of the gas giant and its various moons. Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft has returned stunning new images of Saturn and its moons. Equally remarkable are the colour mosaics of various moons released by the Cassini team.The global mosaics were produced using images …

NASA releases stunning new image of Saturn and Earth
11 years, 4 months ago

NASA releases stunning new image of Saturn and Earth

India TV News  

Washington: NASA has released the first-ever natural-colour portrait of Saturn, in which the planet, its seven moons and rings, and Earth, Venus and Mars, all are visible. The new panoramic mosaic of the majestic Saturn system taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which shows the view as it would be seen by human eyes, was unveiled at the Newseum in Washington …

A tour of Saturn
19 years, 9 months ago

A tour of Saturn

The Hindu  

Titan's rich organic chemistry makes it a planetary-scale laboratory for studying the pre-biotic processes that may have led to the origin of life on the earth. In addition to 45 planned fly-bys of Titan, Cassini will conduct approximately six fly-bys of Saturn's medium-sized iced satellites at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 km. The Cassini orbiter, which carries 12 science instruments, …

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