What are these lines? (Picture included)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the interpretation of visual artifacts in the Pale Blue Dot image taken by Voyager I. Participants explore the nature of the lines observed in the photograph, considering various explanations and contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the lines are artifacts due to the geometry of the situation, noting that Earth's proximity to the sun is a contributing factor.
  • Another participant claims that the lines are lens flares, referencing a previous discussion and providing a link to a related thread.
  • Some participants assert that the lines represent Saturn's tenuous rings, providing detailed descriptions and context from images taken by the Cassini spacecraft.
  • A later reply acknowledges a mistake regarding the photo being discussed, indicating confusion about the image source.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of the lines, with some attributing them to lens flares and others to Saturn's rings. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing interpretations presented.

Contextual Notes

There is a lack of consensus on the definitions of the visual artifacts, and the discussion includes references to different images and contexts that may influence interpretations.

nhmllr
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We've all seen Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot picture, taken by Voyager
[PLAIN]http://www.humanistsofutah.org/images/PaleBlueDot.jpg
My question is: What are those huge red, green, and orange lines?
 
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Essentially, these lines are artifacts resulting in the geometry of the situation, specifically the fact that the Earth is too close to the sun. The fact that the Earth happens to be lying in one is mere coincidence.
 
Those lines are Saturn's tenuous rings.


Excerpt:

The narrow tenuous G ring and the main rings are seen at the right.
The view looks down from about 15 degrees above the un-illuminated side of the rings.
Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this view. The image was taken by the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Sept. 15, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn and at a sun-Saturn- spacecraft angle of almost 179 degrees. Image scale is approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) per pixel.
At this time, Cassini was nearly 1.5 billion kilometers (930 million miles) from Earth.
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=2279
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Radrook said:
Those lines are Saturn's tenuous rings.


Excerpt:

The narrow tenuous G ring and the main rings are seen at the right.
The view looks down from about 15 degrees above the un-illuminated side of the rings.
Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this view. The image was taken by the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Sept. 15, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn and at a sun-Saturn- spacecraft angle of almost 179 degrees. Image scale is approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) per pixel.
At this time, Cassini was nearly 1.5 billion kilometers (930 million miles) from Earth.
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=2279

This picture was taken in 1990 by Voyager I...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot
 

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