Is Saturn's Surface as Beautiful as it Looks in the Latest Cassini Image?

[s3nn0c]

Please check the latest Cassini image:

http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir/2004/574_1058_2.png

Oh, my god, nature is beautiful.

 

[SkepticJ]

That's Mimas isn't it? One of my favorite moons in the solar system. Is Cassini supposed to get a close up of it like Viking did?

 

[s3nn0c]

Yes, that's Mimas.

Here is Cassini's schedule:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/operations/pdfs/tourSchedule.pdf

I'm afraid but we won't see too much of Mimas. Only one distant flyby, at 2 August 2005. More than 25 000 km.

 

[DaVinci]

Great pic! It is now my desktop. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Phobos]

Welcome to Physics Forums, s3nn0c, and thanks for the photo link.

The home page of that JPL site (2nd link) frequently posts excellent photos from the Cassini mission.
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

Looking forward to the Huygens exploration of Titan in January!

 

[s3nn0c]

Hi Phobos (btw that post wasn't my first one here).

JPL site is great but I prefer ciclops.org for images - they have more photos and release them faster.

BTW - Huygens should take ca. 1100 images. I hope that a few of them won't be orange...

 

[Phobos]

I hope a few of them will be wet from a splashdown in a hydrocarbon sea.

 

[s3nn0c]

Personally I don't believe in oceans on Titan. Maybe small lakes, somewhere, sometimes.

10:1 for dry surface near Huygens.

 

[Nereid]

How does ooze and slush figure in the wet:dry continuum?

10:1 for a oozy/slushy surface near where Huygens lands.

 

[s3nn0c]

Looks like a great opportunity to check our physical intuition ;-)))

 

[Janitor]

...10:1 for dry surface near Huygens...

I'm a pessimist. I vote likewise.