Cassini’s ring dive offers first close-up of Saturn’s cloud tops
Spacecraft images reveal stunning views of planet’s hurricane and more
Cassini has beamed back stunning images from the spacecraft’s daring dive between Saturn and its rings.
The first closeup pictures of the planet’s atmosphere reveal peculiar threadlike clouds and puffy cumulus ones, plus the giant hurricane first spotted on Saturn in 2008 (SN: 11/8/08, p. 9). Released April 27, the images of Saturn’s cloud tops are a “big step forward” for understanding the planet’s atmosphere, says Cassini imaging team member Andy Ingersoll, an atmospheric scientist at Caltech.