Here's the latest Prometheus image... actually a composite of the four available when I got in to - uh - work.
I think we are looking at the anti-Saturn end, and down the leading side, from the south.
Phil
http://saturn1.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-list.cfm?browseLatest=0&cacheQ=0&storedQ=0
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/casJPGFullS11/N00035256.jpg
So that's what happened to the frisbee I lost.
And here's the new Atlas image, a composite of the three on the website this morning.
(maybe it should be upside down... this is probably the southern side)
Phil
WOW - Hoagland will be having FITS over this one
Can we expect any closer approaches in the primary mission?
Doug
It reminds me of the Mothership from the movie 'Independance Day'. I suppose that we all will have a much better view of it in three weeks.
Bill
I know some have suggested that Iapetus' equatorial bulge was formed by infalling ring material. I never took much stock in it given Iapetus' size and current position (the latter can change though), but for the equatorial bulges of these Pan and Atlas, I don't see why that explanation can't work.
Is the Hyperion set that is on the raw site complete? It seems all the images are overexposed. This is all I can get out of them.
Was this an attempt to look for comet-like activity or a mistake?
They're not-overexposed, just poorly stretched by JPL. This tends to be a problem with bodies that take up only a small percentage of the image. the image you show is at ~4.5 km/pixel. We will get LOADS more over the next 3-4 days with the best images topping out at just under 1 km/pixel.
I expected the tide to orient Atlas so the long axis is pointed toward Saturn. Instead the long axis appears to parallel to its orbit. Is this just an effect of lighting and viewing angle or is something else responsible?
We already know that Atlas is a pretty porous body (at least Pan definitely is). But certainly there has to be some explanation for current orientation, either through ring impacts or perterbation from Prometheus.
Atmospheric diffraction?
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=41650
Wonder if we will see Hyperion data this weekend?
Very curious as to what this moon looks like close up.
Here is a crude mosaic of some of the Dione images. Gosh it looks like Ariel.
http://img299.echo.cx/my.php?image=dionerev93dj.jpg
Orientation can't be judged from one image, and I'm pretty sure the one resolved Voyager image shows a long axis pointing towards Saturn - consistent with that, anyway. I think we are seeing Atlas end-on here, or nearly so, and the dimension we don't see is the longer one towards Saturn. Anyway, bulk density or composition would not affect orientation.
Phil
Hmmm... the least badly stretched of these new Hyperion images - those available to us as I write, taken from about 750 000 km, - look to me as if they show a couple of grooves or fractures. One roughly horizontal in the image, one roughly vertical, crossing near the center. (I'm away from my beloved Photoshop right now so I can't play with and post the pic). In a paper a few years ago I said I thought I could see grooves in the best Voyager images - very near the limit of resolution, so uncertain. But it will be interesting to see tomorrow's new images. Maybe they will confirm it... maybe not!
Phil
From the current images I've noticed very little craters. Than again that could be from lack of resolution.
I expect some big surprises with the new images!
I did some reading on tidal forces. In addition to the tides that try to stretch an object toward and away from a planet there are weaker ones that squeeze it in the other directions. Applying this to Atlas I came up with this idea. Because of the tides material from the rings accumulates along its equator ( I'm calling the ends closest to and farthest from Saturn the poles for now ) It is less dense than Atlas so it is able to build up. Eventually it builds up enough that gravity tips Atlas so the longer end is again pointing toward Saturn. When this happens the tides pull the loose material off the new 'poles' because it is inside the roche limit. The material from the inside is moving too slow to stay at Atlas' radius so it falls a short distance in forming a thin ring. The material on the outside does the opposite. Applying the same to Pan could create the faint ring visible inside it.
Disclaimer: the above theory is based on a little information and a lot of imagination. Any similarity between it and reallity is purely coincidental.
Looks like Hyperion Images are going up.
Anyone who is up tonight can keep an eye out!
http://saturn1.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-list.cfm?browseLatest=0&cacheQ=0&storedQ=0
Note : It's almost 24hrs since I first noticed images posted with broken links.
Does anyone see the images?
It's odd, descriptions are there but no pic?!
Here are some of the best new Hyperion images.
This really looks different than the other smaller moons.
Notice the dark Stuff at the bottom of the crater. Mmmm wonder what that is?
Wow!
Sorry to clutter things up but this is a more complete set of images from the Hyperion flyby.
Phil
I don't know abouyt anyone else, but it looks like a negative of Phoebe to me.
Few of the images show any detail at all ... is that the dreaded auto-contrast enhancement again?
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=42159
The final set of Hyperion images are now online. These show Hyperion receding from Cassini.
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/casJPGFullS11/N00035454.jpg
This image shows the region seen best by Voyager (not sure which one).
They've made lots of observations of Hyperion that seem to have come out OK, what do you think went wrong?
Here are a few more shots that came out ok
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=42337
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=42320
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=42301
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=42293
The brightness model for Hyperion was incorrectly applied, causing it to be underestimated. This led to the exposure times to be greater than they should have been. This is being resolved for September's flyby.
At first I thought those crater chains might be imaginary... then I looked more closely and yes, there do seem to be a lot. But we have to be wary of our uncanny ability to see patterns in randomness. I don't think this is all random, I agree there are crater chains... but maybe not all of them are significant alignments. But let's see what the September images show us...
But despite a few scattered and disorganized grooves on Ida, Gaspra, Eros etc., so far Phobos is still unique for its extraordinary system of grooves. I would still place Hyperion more in the Gaspra class of grooved bodies, from what I have seen so far.
Phil
This is an animation of the best (UV filter) Hyperion sequence, with each frame resized in order to have same scale...
http://img91.echo.cx/img91/4821/hyperion8dl.gif
below also a couple of stereo (cross-eye) images:
http://img296.echo.cx/my.php?image=hypstereo14jj.jpg
http://img296.echo.cx/my.php?image=hypstereo34rm.jpg
I for one think Hyperion looks unique.
Looking forward to the next flyby.
Hyperion reminds me a bit of Eros, though it's not as peanut shaped.
Eric P / MizarKey
A nice portrait of Ephimeteus and Pan (on the left):
http://img78.echo.cx/my.php?image=panepim6fm.jpg
Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)