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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Cassini general discussion and science results _ New Colour Image

Posted by: Baltic Jun 29 2004, 06:20 PM

Beautiful, but 3 weeks old:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA06077.jpg

Tom

Posted by: David Jun 29 2004, 08:10 PM

It is a gorgeous image. I like the way in which both the view of the edge of the disk through the rings, and the shadows of the rings on Saturn itself, show the varying degrees of opacity of the rings; the B ring being most opaque, the A ring somewhat translucent, and the C ring semitransparent.
The sunlight passing through Cassini's division (and perhaps also the C ring; see immediately below the shadow of the B ring, near the terminator) appears somewhat blue. Is that due to refraction, or some other cause? My knowledge of optics is very poor.

David

Posted by: BruceMoomaw Jul 2 2004, 04:23 AM

One observer who had seen the C Ring clearly with his own eyes through the big Yale refractor wrote how struck he was by its beautiful glowing deep blue color, so this may be a "real" color as the naked eye would see it.

Posted by: Pando Jul 2 2004, 11:17 PM

This just in: What appears to be Titan really up close. Am I seeing what I think I am seeing???!

N00006513.jpg was taken on July 02, 2004 and received on Earth July 02, 2004. The camera was pointing toward TITAN at approximately 364,890 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CB3 filters.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=6913

Posted by: BruceMoomaw Jul 2 2004, 11:41 PM

Well, Pando, if you're referring to the little dark circle as a possible lake-plus-island, I'm afraid the answer is "no" -- that just the shadow from a dusk speck on the camera, and turns up in lots of the photos. As for that branched-looking dark area, however: I don't know. I've just heard from someone who's been cranking up the contrast on these disappointing photos with Photoshop (which I don't have) -- and who says there's a lot more detail visible that way, and thinks he's saying something shaped distinctly like lakes. But we may have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

Posted by: BruceMoomaw Jul 2 2004, 11:44 PM

That's "SEEING something distinctly like lakes" -- not "SAYING something" like them... *sigh*

Posted by: David Jul 3 2004, 01:44 AM

QUOTE

As for that branched-looking dark area, however: I don't know. I've just heard from someone who's been cranking up the contrast on these disappointing photos with Photoshop (which I don't have) -- and who says there's a lot more detail visible that way, and thinks he's saying something shaped distinctly like lakes. But we may have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

Having waited for 23 years to see *something* other than orange smog, I'm not disappointed at all! There's a lot of detail here that nobody has ever seen before. I'm looking at the raw images, and I admit I'm not certain if I'm looking at mountains or lakes or craters (or possibly all three), but I'm sure that the pieces are going to come together over the course of the mission.
I'm intrigued by the reflective features in this image:

Hills?

Posted by: Pando Jul 4 2004, 06:28 AM

QUOTE

Well, Pando, if you're referring to the little dark circle as a possible lake-plus-island,

Hehe, no that's not what I was referring to (I know that it's an artifact)... I was referring to the entire image, especially the detail at lower left, since I didn't believe (didn't know) that Cassini was that close to Titan. The images were just posted, and no one in any forum had yet mentioned them...