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Saturn is the sixth planet of the Sun, known for its colorful concentric rings. Nicknamed by NASA the jewel of the solar system, Saturn has been at the heart of the Space Agency's Cassini mission for 13 years. On Friday, September 20, NASA shared a beautiful frontal photo of Saturn taken by the Cassini spacecraft. On the image, the sun illuminates the rings of the planet with a narrow band of sunlight creeping over the curve of the planet.
The dark side of the planet is the edge of the night of Saturn, which is not visible from the Earth.
Saturn's photo was shared Friday in NASA's Astronomical Day Image section – a series of daily images illustrating the beauty of the cosmos.
The space agency credited the photo at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), at the institute's science institute. space and to the astronomer Mindaugas Macijauskas.
NASA said: "Always bright in the night sky of the planet Earth, Saturn's good telescopic views and beautiful rings often make it a celebrity star.
SEE HERE: Hubble captures breathtaking aurora on Saturn's North Pole
"But this unobstructed view of the rings of Saturn and the night side is simply not possible with telescopes closer to the Sun than the outer planet. They can only highlight the day of Saturn.
"In fact, this image of the thin sunny crescent of Saturn with the shadow of the night projected through its vast complex ring system was captured by the Cassini spacecraft."
The Cassini Space Shuttle completed its journey around Saturn on September 15, 2017, when it plunged dramatically towards the Ringed Giant.
Three days before the dive with death, the spaceship took a series of 36 images that were assembled in this portrait.
SEE HERE: A new NASA portrait reveals the "turbulent" sky of Saturn
The sun is placed just above Saturn, which has caused the planet to cast its shadow on its rings.
NASA said: "A planet Earth robot, Cassini, called Saturn into orbit for 13 years before asking him to plunge into the gas giant's atmosphere on September 15, 2017.
"This beautiful mosaic is composed of images recorded by Cassini's wide-angle camera just two days before its big dive.
"The night of Saturn will no longer be seen until another spacecraft Earth calls."
READ MORE: What is this mysterious "hexagon" on Saturn?
Fast facts about the gem of the solar system, Saturn:
1. Saturn is the sixth planet of the Sun and the second largest planet in the solar system.
2. The atmosphere of Saturn is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.
3. Just like Jupiter, scientists believe that the planet has no solid surface, but a solid core at the bottom.
4. There are 53 confirmed moons in orbit around Saturn and nine more awaiting confirmation.
5. Saturn has a total of seven rings with many empty spaces between them.
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