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The rings of Saturn can be an impressive sight through a telescope, and when you have the most iconic space telescope at your disposal, the view is absolutely breathtaking. Example: this amazing new view of the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA and the European Space Agency unveiled the new portrait of Saturn today (12 September). The image was taken on June 20 by Hubble's wide-field camera 3, while Saturn was about 1.36 billion kilometers away.
This is the second in a series of annual photos of the Outer Planets Legacy Project carried out by scientists who study the gaseous giant planets of our solar system. "In the case of Saturn, scientists are tracking weather and other changes to identify trends," NASA and ESA officials said in a description.
Video: Watch the dance of Saturn's moons in Hubble's incredible sight
Related, connected, related: Amazing photos of the glorious rings of Saturn
The rings of Saturn and four of its moons occupy a central place in this portrait made by the Hubble Space Telescope wide-field camera 3 on June 20, 2019.
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Spaceflight Center) and Mr. H. Wong (University of California at Berkeley))
This science is fine, but for the casual viewer, it's the beauty of Saturn that reigns supreme in the new picture.
"Saturn is home to many recognizable features, including its trademark ring system, which is now tilted to Earth," NASA / ESA officials wrote in the description of the image. "This gives us a magnificent view of its glossy and glossy structure."
And then, there is Saturn's weird hexagon, a target of geometry that is really disconcerting. This strange hexagon-like phenomenon surrounds the north pole of Saturn and was first spotted by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2007.. Cassini revolved around Saturn from 2004 to 2017.
"This is a mysterious six-sided pattern caused by a high-speed jet stream," added NASA / ESA officials. "The hexagon is so big that four Earths could fit into its territory (there is no similar structure at the south pole of Saturn)."
Pictures: The weird hexagon of Saturn closely
Four of Saturn's moons (62 in all) are visible in the new Hubble portrait. Among them is Mimas, the "Death Star" moon – so named because its huge Herschel crater gives it a look similar to the lunar-like fictional space station of "Star Wars".
The other Saturnian moons spotted by Hubble are Enceladus Glaciated, which houses geysers and a vast ocean under an ice shell; Janus, a crater-shaped moon covered with craters; and Tethys, an icy round moon with strange red bows of matter on its surface.
Finally, there is Saturn herself, shining like a red jewel in the darkness of space.
"The amber colors of Saturn come from smog-like summer mists produced by photochemical reactions caused by solar ultraviolet radiation," NASA / ESA officials said. "Below the haze are clouds of ammonia ice crystals, as well as lower and invisible clouds of ammonium hydrosulfide and water. "
The moons of Saturn Enceladus, Janus, Mimas and Tethys are visible in the 2019 portrait taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL team)
The atmosphere of Saturn derives its appearance from bands of winds and clouds moving at different altitudes.
Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most prolific space observatories of all time. The orbiting telescope usually looks into the deepest spaces to make cosmic discoveries, but its camera eye can reveal startling details about planets closer to home.
"Hubble's high-resolution images of our planetary neighbors can only be surpassed by images taken from spacecraft that actually visit these bodies," NASA / ESA officials have written. "However, Hubble has an advantage over space probes: he can examine these objects periodically and observe them for much longer periods than any probe that passes."
Send an email to Tariq Malik at [email protected] or follow him @tariqjmalik. follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook
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