Atlas,_Daphins_and_Pan-PIA21449.jpgAtlas, Daphnis and Pan158 visiteCaption NASA:"This montage of views from NASA's Cassini Spacecraft shows three of Saturn's Small Ring moons: Atlas, Daphnis and Pan at the same scale for ease of comparison.
Two differences between Atlas and Pan are obvious in this montage. Pan's Equatorial Band is much thinner and more sharply defined, and the central mass of Atlas (the part underneath the smooth Equatorial Band) appears to be smaller than that of Pan.
All of these images were taken using the Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera. The images of Atlas were acquired on April 12, 2017, at a distance of about 10.000 miles (approx. 16,0093 Km) and at a Sun-moons-Spacecraft angle (or Phase Angle) of 37°. All three images are oriented so that North is up".MareKromium
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Tethys_and_Saturn-PIA18318-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFather and Daughter... (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)73 visiteThe two large Impact Craters on Tethys, near the line where the day fades into the night (the so-called "Terminator Line"), almost resemble two giant eyes observing Saturn. The location of these aforementioned Impact Craters on Tethys' Terminator throws their topography into sharp relief. Both are large Impact Craters, but the larger and Southernmost of the two, shows a more complex structure.
The angle of the lighting highlights a Central Peak in this Crater. In fact, Central Peaks are the final and well visible result of the Surface (of the impacted Celestial Body) reacting to the violent Post-Impact Excavation of the Crater itself. On the other hand, the Northern Crater does not show a similar Surface Feature. Why? No one knows for sure but, possibly, the impact was too small (better yet: to small AND slow) to form a Central Peak or, maybe, the composition of the Materials located in the immediate vicinities of the Impact Area couldn't support the formation of a Central Peak. In this image, Tethys is significantly closer to the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft's Wide-Angle Camera, while the Ringed Gas-Giant Planet (---> Saturn) is in the background. And yet, the moon is still utterly dwarfed by Saturn.
This view looks toward the Anti-Saturn Side of Tethys; North is up and rotated 42° to the right (Dx). The image was taken in Visible Light with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft's Wide-Angle Camera on April 11, 2015. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 75.000 miles (such as about 120.700,5 Km) from Tethys and the Image Scale on Tethys is roughly 4 miles (such as about 6,437 Km) per pixel.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft's b/w and NON Map-Projected image published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18318) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, magnified, in order to allow the vision of the slightest details of the Surface, Gamma corrected and then colorized - according to an educated guess (or, if you wish, an informed speculation) carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga - in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, toward Saturn and the Saturnian moon "Tethys"), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Gases and Minerals, respectively) present in the Atmosphere of Saturn, and on the Surface of Tethys, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of Saturn and Tethys - as it is in this frame - would appear, to an average human eye, a little bit lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromium
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Dione-PIA17126-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgRomulus and Friends (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/IPF)66 visiteLike their semi-divine namesakes, Dione's twin Impact Craters Romulus and Remus (just above-right of the center) stand together while Dido, the larger Impact Crater showing a magnificent and impressive Central Peak, lies to the South/East, on the lower left Limb of Dione and almost half-way on top of the Terminator. The lit Terrain seen here is on the Saturn-facing Hemisphere of Dione and North is up.
The image was taken in Visible Light with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on April 28, 2013. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 870.000 miles (such as a little more than 1,4 Million KiloMeters) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-Cassini Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 77°. Image scale is roughly 5 miles (a little more than 8 Km) per pixel.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17126) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, magnified to aid visibility of the Surface details and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga/LXTT/IPF, in what they should be its Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Dione), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present on the Surface of Dione, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of Dione - as it is in this frame - would appear, to an average human eye, a little bit lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromium
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Janus-PIA14667-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgJanus, from far away... (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)94 visiteIn this frame, we can see that the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft has recently caught a glimpse of Janus: an irregularly-shaped Minor Saturnian moon. Lacking sufficient gravity to pull itself into a round shape, Janus (which is approx. 111 miles - such as about 178,63 - across) has had its lumpy primordial shape only slightly modified by impacts since its formation. A huge Impact Crater can be seen on the upper left corner of the illuminated side of Janus, jointly with other barely visible Surface Details. Furthermore, if you look carefully (after bringing the image to its full size), a few more Surface Details that are found of that part of Janus that lies in the shadows, beyond the Terminator Line, can be (even though just barely) seen, jointly with the outline of the moon.
This view looks toward the Trailing Hemisphere of Janus. North on Janus is up and rotated 44° degrees to the left. The image was taken in Visible Light with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on April 28, 2013; the view was obtained at a distance of approximately 780.000 miles (such as about 1.255.285 Million KiloMeters) from Janus and at a Sun-Janus-Cassini Spacecraft (or Phase), Angle of 77°. The mage scale is roughly 5 miles (such as 8,04 Km) per pixel.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 14667) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, magnified and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Janus), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present on the Surface of Janus, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
(3 voti)
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