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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Cassini general discussion and science results _ Odd Image
Posted by: alan Jan 7 2006, 05:34 AM
What the heck is that?
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=60004
Posted by: ermar Jan 7 2006, 08:00 AM
Whatever it is, it's a jiggled-up, overexposed version of http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/casJPGBrowseS17/W00012846.jpg. Not quite as weird, but the instrument pointing logs would be of great utility here.
Posted by: edstrick Jan 7 2006, 10:22 AM
(attaches twilight zone theme tweedle to the picture)
Posted by: djellison Jan 7 2006, 11:05 AM
There's lots of them, and some have different speckles with different filters
Is it an internal calibration? Or Calibration using the Sun or something like that?
Doug
Posted by: ugordan Jan 7 2006, 11:57 AM
If I'm not mistaken, that may be an image of the calibration lamp. WAC has a calibration lamp (IIRC, WAC design was inherited from the Voyagers) while NAC has no such thing.
That bright middle band does somewhat resemble a tungsten wire in a lamp, defocussed of course.
Posted by: abalone Jan 7 2006, 12:01 PM
That bright middle band does somewhat resemble a tungsten wire in a lamp, defocussed of course.
You guys are a bottomless pit of knowledge, I'm impressed
Posted by: ugordan Jan 7 2006, 12:20 PM
Here's an exploded view of the wide angle camera, taken from 2004_PorcoWest.pdf:
|
Note the calibration lamp on the left, in the front of the optics.
Posted by: Cugel Jan 7 2006, 01:11 PM
A slightly enhanced version of this picture:
Posted by: dilo Jan 7 2006, 01:27 PM
Excellent explaination, ugordan... but I prefere Cugel version! 
(remember that in the original 2001 book, monolith was near Saturn!).
Posted by: ugordan Jan 7 2006, 01:47 PM
(remember that in the original 2001 book, monolith was near Saturn!).
Hehe, THAT is a good one!
Posted by: jmknapp Jan 7 2006, 02:49 PM
This is the science plan entry:
2006JAN05 21:57 UTC - 2006JAN06 01:57 UTC
ISS_020IC_CALLAMP001_PRIME
ISS WAC CAL LAMP
ISS WAC Cal Lamp exposures
Posted by: dilo Jan 7 2006, 03:02 PM
2006JAN05 21:57 UTC - 2006JAN06 01:57 UTC
ISS_020IC_CALLAMP001_PRIME
ISS WAC CAL LAMP
ISS WAC Cal Lamp exposures
So, no space for Science Fiction here... but, hey, wait a moment! Deaths Star is pointing toward Titan!!! Hope rebellion will destroy it soon!
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/casJPGFullS17/N00047873.jpg
Posted by: ljk4-1 Jan 7 2006, 03:16 PM
(remember that in the original 2001 book, monolith was near Saturn!).
The Monolith in the novel wasn't just near Saturn, it was on Iapetus in a large white "crater" and the Monolith ETI had something to do with making the moon so bright on one side and so dark on the other - a kind of semaphore signal to humanity.
See here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iapetus_(moon)#Iapetus_in_fiction
In fact none other than Donald Goldsmith and Tobias Owen speculated in 1980 that Iapetus' condition might be artificial:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iapetus_(moon)#Speculation_that_Iapetus_is_artificial
Even Iapetus' discoverer, the real Cassini, noted its dark and light halves in 1671:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iapetus_(moon)#Two-tone_coloration
Posted by: Decepticon Jan 7 2006, 04:05 PM
I never get tired of 2001 comedy.
Posted by: ElkGroveDan Jan 7 2006, 04:39 PM
Nah, THIS is the enhanced version:
Posted by: deglr6328 Jan 7 2006, 06:05 PM
Back to the calib. image, I do not like the looks of it. Recall the Stardust lamp calib images of 2001....
here, the prelaunch image clearly showing helical structure of the W filament. 
and then a post-launch image after contamination on the lens accumulated
and finaly after baking of the lens is nearly done, the wigglyness is again visible
I don't have a prelaunch image to compare it to but the Cassini image looks TOO blurry. Even if the filament is a straight wire this is too blurry I think.
If you're REALLY good you can estimate the particle size distribution of the contamination droplets on the surface... http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/corfog.html (note, no I am not that good )
Posted by: ugordan Jan 7 2006, 06:31 PM
Star Trek : TNG ?
Posted by: Decepticon Jan 7 2006, 06:56 PM
^Yeah sad Creature/Ship 
When I first saw it I though of a Vegetable (forgot the name of it)
Posted by: ljk4-1 Jan 7 2006, 07:39 PM
When I first saw it I though of a Vegetable (forgot the name of it)
Gomtuu, which Starfleet code-named Tin Man.
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Gomtuu
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Tin_Man
At least it wasn't a typical ST alien, by far.
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