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| Piú votate - Saturn: the "Ringed Beauty" and His Moons |
Tethys-PIA09915-1.jpgShall Odysseus ever find Ithaca? (Stretched Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the add. process.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga-LXTT-IPF)139 visiteCaption NASA:"From a highly inclined orbit, the Cassini Spacecraft looks toward far Northern Latitudes on Tethys.
Here, the spacecraft was above a position about 45° North of the moon's Equator.
This vantage point afforded a view of the moon's three most recognizable features: the Ithaca Chasma Canyon System (at lower right), Odysseus Crater (at upper left) and the Equatorial Band of Darker Terrain (at lower left).
Lit terrain seen here is on the Leading Hemisphere of Tethys (1062 Km, or approx. 660 miles across). North is up.
The image was taken in Visible Light with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 29, 2008.
The view was obtained at a distance of approx. 991.000 Km (such as about 616.000 miles) from Tethys and at Phase Angle of 73°.
Image scale is roughly 6 Km (about 4 miles) per pixel".MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Rhea-IMG004754-br500-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFarewell to Rhea (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)61 visiteOn its fourth and final targeted Fly-By of Rhea, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft provided, among others, this stunning view its ancient, tormented and heavily cratered Surface. Billions of years of impacts, in fact, have sculpted Rhea's Surface into the form we see today and, with a diameter of approx. 950 miles (such as about 1528,8 Km), Rhea is the second-largest moon of Saturn.
Scientists are still trying to understand some of the curious Surface Features visible in this image, including a curving, narrow Fracture, or Graben, which is a Block of Ground lower than its surroundings and bordered by Cliffs on both sides. This Feature looks remarkably recent, since it cuts most of the Impact Craters that it crosses, with only a few (and small) Impact Craters superimposed.
This view was taken - using the filters CL1 and CL2 - on March 9, 2013, at a distance of approximately 1.727 miles (such as about 2.779,33 Km) from the Surface of Rhea.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w image identified by the serial n. IMG004754-br500) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, 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 down, towards the Surface of the Saturnian moon Rhea), 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 Rhea, 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 the Surface of Rhea - as it is presented in this image - would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Saturn-PIA14656-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgThe restless Saturnian Atmosphere (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)103 visiteThe always richly dynamic Atmosphere of Saturn rewards - once again - its observers by showing unique and fascinating (even though just temporary) Cloud Structures and Formations. Here, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft used the Near-InfraRed filters on its Wide-Angle Camera to get a better look at some of Saturn's Cloud Patterns, which are continuously shaped (and re-shaped, restlessly) by the powerful Winds and Storms that keep blowing and forming, respectively, in the Upper Atmosphere of the ringed Gas-Giant Planet.
The view is centered at 30° North Latitude and 42° West Longitude; North is up and rotated 44° to the right. The image was taken with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Wide-Angle Camera on December 24, 2012, using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 752 nanometers. The image was acquired at a distance of approximately 440.000 miles (such as about 708.000 Km) from the top of Saturn's Clouds and at a Sun-Saturn-CASSINI Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 14°. Image scale is roughly 26 miles (such as 41,84 Km) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the n. PIA 14656) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), 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 Gas-Giant Planet Saturn), 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 in the Upper Atmosphere of Saturn, 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 the Clouds and Hazes (as well as the luminosity of Saturn itself) seen in this frame would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Telesto-PIA07702-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgTiny Telesto (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)77 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft passed within a cosmic "stone's throw" (---> meaning very close, in cosmic terms) from the Saturnian moon Telesto in October of the AD 2005, capturing this shot of this tiny Trojan moon. Telesto (which is approx. 24 Km, such as a little less than 15 miles across) appears to be mantled in fine, Icy (and/or "Dusty") Material, although a few shallow Impact Craters and some Rocky Outcrops (and/or large Boulders) are visible. Its smooth Surface does not appear to retain the record of intense cratering that most of Saturn's other moons possess.
The original image was taken in Polarized Green Light with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on October 11, 2005, at a distance of approximately 14.500 Km (such as a little more than 9004 miles) from Telesto. The image scale is roughly 86 meters (283 feet) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 07702) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXXT/IPF), 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, Telesto), 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 (Minerals) present on the Surface of Telesto, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Japetus-PIA08384-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgEngelier Crater (CTX Frame and EDM in Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)108 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft captured, in the month of September of the AD 2007, the first High-Resolution glimpse of the bright Trailing Hemisphere of Saturn's moon Japetus. This Absolute Natural Color image-mosaic shows the entire Hemisphere of Japetus that was visible from the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft on the outbound leg of its encounter with the two-toned moon. Also shown here is the complicated Transition Region of Japetus (meaning the Region which is located in-between its Dark Leading Hemisphere and the Bright Trailing one). This Region, visible along the right side of the image, was observed in many of the images acquired by Cassini near the closest approach of the encounter.
Revealed here for the first time in detail are the Geologic Structures that mark the Trailing Hemisphere of Japetus. The Region appears to be Heavily Cratered, particularly in the North and South Polar Regions of the moon. Near the top of the mosaic, numerous Impact Features that hade been already caught in several frames obtained by the NASA - Voyager 2 Spacecraft during the Fly-By of Japetus that took place in the AD 1981, are well visible, including the Impact Craters Ogier and Charlemagne. However, the most prominent Topographic Feature in this view, in the bottom half of the mosaic, is the approx. 450-Km (such as about 280-miles) wide Engelier Impact Basin: one of at least 9 (nine) huge Impact Basins found on Japetus. In fact, the Engelier Impact Basin overlaps an older, similar-sized Impact Basin located to its South/East.
In many places of Japetus, the Dark Material (that is thought to be composed of Nitrogen-bearing Organic Compounds - called "Cyanides" -, as well as by Hydrated Minerals and other Carbonaceous Minerals) seems to "coat" the Equator-facing Slopes as well as the Floor of the Impact Basin. The distribution of this Dark Material as well as the variations in the color of the Bright Material that is spread all across the Trailing Hemisphere, will be crucial clues to solve (or, at least, ro clarify) if we really want to get a better understanding of the origin of Japetus' extremely peculiar bright-dark dual personality.
The view was acquired with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on September 10, 2007, at a distance of about 73.000 Km (such as approx. 45.333 miles) from Japetus. This mosaic consists of 60 images covering 15 footprints across the Surface of Japetus. The view is an Orthographic Projection of the Saturnian moon that has been centered at 10,8° South Latitude, 246,5° West Longitude and which has a resolution of 426 meters (0,26 miles) per pixel. An Orthographic Projection (like this one) is something like the view that a distant observer would get by looking at a given Celestial Object through a telescope.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft false-color image mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 08384) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, and then re-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 bright Trailing Hemisphere of the Saturnian moon Japetus), 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 Japetus, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: in the EDM (upper Right Side of the image-mosaic), a view of the Terrain located in the Transition Zone of Japetus. The Bright Material visible on the frozen Surface of Japetus is, most likely, Water Ice, while the Dark Material is, probably, a Carbonaceous Mineral.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Saturn-PIA10413-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgNorthern Swirls (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)77 visiteSinuous and swirling Clouds (which appear to be extremely dense) and Hurricane-sized Vortices, mingle in Saturn's Northern Skies (in fact, this view looks toward a Region of Saturn that is located at about 70° North Latitude). Despite the level of detail that is visible here, the Region shown in today's APOD is wide enough to contain the planet Mars comfortably.
The image was taken with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft's CB1 Spectral Filter, which is sensitive to Wavelengths of Visible Red Light centered at 619 nanometers. The view was acquired with the Spacecraft's Narrow-Angle Camera on May 23, 2008 at a distance of approximately 1,2 Million KiloMeters (such as about 745.200 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is roughly 7 Km (about 4,3 miles) per pixel.
This frame (which is a NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft Original b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the serial n. PIA 10413) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), 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 Upper Atmosphere of Satun), 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 in the Upper Atmosphere of Satun, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Saturn-Vortex-EB-MF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgNorth Polar Vortex (CTX Frame: Calibrated Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Elisabetta Bonora and Marco Faccin/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation; EDM: Absolute Natural Colors; credits: Dr Paolo C. Fienga)89 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft has recently been travelling the Saturnian System in a set of inclined (or "tilted"), orbits that were fit to give to the Mission Scientists a vertigo-inducing view of Saturn's North Polar Regions. This (kind of "new") perspective has brought to light quite a few images of roiling Storm Clouds and a swirling Vortex, located at the center of Saturn's famed North Polar "Hexagon" (being tha latter an Atmospherical Feature whose origin and visual configuration are still a mistery).
These North Polar Phenomena, however, basically mimic what Cassini found at Saturn's South Pole, a number of years ago. As a matter of fact, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft had also seen several Storms circling the North Polar Regions of Saturn in the past, but the vision had come only in InfraRed Wavelengths, since the North Pole of the Ringed Gas-Giant Planet was in complete darkness. Now, with the change of the Saturnian Season, the Sun has once again begun to creep over the North Pole of Saturn, and this frame (that was obtained in Visible Light) shows us what Cassini has actually seen...
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame) was taken on November, 27th, 2012, with the Cassini's Wide-Angle Imaging Camera. The Camera, at the time that the picture was taken, was pointing at the North Polar Regions of Saturn from approx. 233.742 miles (such as about 376.170 Km) away.
The resulting frame (in its CTX Version) has been additionally processed and then colorized in Natural Colors (such as the colors that a perfect human eye - or an Electronic Eye - would have perceived while looking at Saturn from Cassini's vantage point); the EDM Version (in the upper right corner of the image), on the other hand, has been obtained by re-processing and then re-colorizing the picture - according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF) - in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a normal - meaning: in the average - human eye would have actually caught if someone would have been onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then had looked outside, towards the North Pole of Saturn), 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 in the Atmosphere of Saturn, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Saturn-North_Pole-Vortex-Cassini-EB-MF-LXTT-IPF.gifPeering into the Storm (a GIF-Movie by Elisabetta Bonora and Marco Faccin/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)82 visite...Splendido e Affascinante...MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Saturn-North_Pole-Vortex-Cassini_1024-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgPeering into the Storm (Absolute Natural Colors - Credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)93 visiteThe NASA - Cassini Spacecraft has been traveling the Saturnian System in a set of inclined, or "tilted", orbits that are giving to the mission scientists a vertigo-inducing view of Saturn's Polar Regions. This perspective has yielded images of roiling Storm Clouds and a swirling Vortex at the center of Saturn's famed North Polar Hexagon. This phenomenon mimic what Cassini found at Saturn's South Pole a few years ago. The Spacecraft has also seen several Storms circling Saturn's North Pole in the past, but only in InfraRed Wavelengths, since the North Pole was in complete darkness. But now, with the change of the Saturnian Season, the Sun has finally begun to creep over the Gas-Giant Planet's North Pole, which has therefore become visible even in the Wavelenghts of Visible Light. This particular image was taken on November, 27, 2012, with Cassini's Narrow-Angle Camera. The Camera, at the time the picture was obtained, was pointing toward Saturn from approximately 224.618 miles (such as about 361.488 kilometers) away.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame identified by the n. IMG004677-br500) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), 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 North Pole of Saturn), 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 in the Atmosphere of Saturn, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition. MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Phoebe-PIA06064-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgPhoebe (Absolute Natural Colors - Credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)77 visitePhoebe's possibole true nature is partly revealed in this image-mosaic of two frames taken during the NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft's Fly-By that occurred on June 11, 2004. The image shows evidence for the emerging view that Phoebe may be an ice-rich Celestial Body coated with a thin Layer of Dark Material (probably Dust). This phenomenon has been observed on other Icy Satellites, such as Ganymede, in the Jovian System: when an impactor slammed into the Surface of Phoebe, the collision excavated fresh, bright Material - probably Water Ice - underlying the Surface Layer of Dust and other rocky debris. A further evidence supporting this hypothesis can be seen on some Crater Walls where the darker Material appears to have slid downwards, so to expose more light-colored Material. However, some areas of the image that are particularly bright - especially near the lower right - are just over-exposed. Small bright Impact Craters visible in the picture are probably fairly young Surface Features.
In addition to that, a number of interesting circumstances seem to indicate that Phoebe may have originated in the Outer Solar System. In fact, Phoebe's highly irregular and Dark Surface, its retrograde orbit, the presence, on its Surface, of a huge variety of large and small Impact Craters and, last but not least, its extremely low Average Density, appear consistent with the hypothesis that Phoebe was once part of the Kuiper Belt, before being captured by Saturn's Gravity (which is, most likely, the same origin of quite a few Minor moons of the Gas-Giant Planets Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Jupiter).
This spectacular view was obtained at a Phase, or Sun-Phoebe-Spacecraft, Angle of 84°, and from a distance of approximately 32.500 Km (such as aabout 20.200 miles). The image scale is approximately 190 meters (624 feet) per pixel.
These image-mosaic (which is made of two Original NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft b/w frames published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 06064) have been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXXT/IPF), 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 Outer moon, Phoebe), 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 (Minerals) present on the Surface of Phoebe, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Saturn-PIA09009-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgSaturnian Cloud Bands (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)122 visiteCaption NASA:"The Cassini Spacecraft spies smooth, sometimes wavy, contours in the banded East-West flowing clouds of Saturn. This view shows clouds in Saturn's Northern Mid-Latitudes.
The image was taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 727 nanometers. The view was obtained with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 8, 2007 at a distance of approx. 2,9 MKM (about 1,8 MMs) from Saturn.
Image scale is roughly 34 Km (about 21 miles) per pixel".
Un nuovo passo in avanti per la Colorizzazione Naturale Assoluta creata da Lunar Explorer Italia: ora, infatti, inizieremo la rivalutazione (in senso di analisi cromatica) dei frames CASSINI e, quindi, la ricolorizzazione di Saturno. Ecco il primo "nato" di questa nuova serie.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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Saturn-Lightning-PIA14921.jpgSaturnian Lightning76 visiteThese false-color mosaics from NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured a Lightning striking within the huge storm that encircled Saturn's Northern Hemisphere for much of the AD 2011. The larger mosaic on the left of the panel shows the Lightning Flash, which appears as a blueish dot. The smaller mosaic on the right is composed of images taken 30 minutes later, and the Lightning is (let's say OBVIOUSLY...) not flashing at that time.
The white arrow points to the location where the Lightning occurred in the Clouds. The Optical Energy of this and other Flashes on Saturn is comparable to the strongest of the flashes on Earth. The flash is approx. 120 miles (about 200 Km) long when it exits the Clouds Tops. From this, scientists deduced that the Lightning Bolts originated in the Clouds deeper down in Saturn's Atmosphere where Water Droplets freeze. This is the analogous Region of the Atmosphere where Lightnings are created on Earth.
This Lightning Flash appeared only in the filter sensitive to Blue Visible Light, and the images were enhanced to increase the visibility of the Lightning. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters are usually combined to create a Natural Color View. Since Visible Red-Light images were not available, images taken using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 752 nanometers were used in place of red. Also, the blue filter image was enhanced to increase the visibility of the lightning. The result is a type (as a matter of fact, just one of the VERY many...) of False Color Image.
The images were obtained with the Cassini Spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 6, 2011, at a distance of approximately 2 MMs (such as about 3,3 MKM) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 83°. These mosaics are simple Cylindrical Map Projections, defined such that a square pixel subtends equal intervals of Latitude and Longitude. At higher Latitudes, the pixel size in the North-South direction remains the same, but the pixel size (in terms of physical extent on the Planet) in the East-West direction becomes smaller. The pixel size is set at the Equator, where the distances along the sides are equal. This map has a pixel size of approx. 12 miles (such as about 20 Km) at the Equator.MareKromium
(2 voti)
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