Saturn: shot by Cassini

The Cassini spacecraft received a composite image in the shadow of Saturn, where you can see the Earth. This is one of the few images of our planet taken from the far reaches of the solar system. The picture and its description are published on the NASA website.

The composite image is composed of 141 images taken by the camera during a four-hour photo session on August 19. During filming, Cassini was in the shadow of Saturn, so the Sun is not visible on it. This position made it possible to capture objects that would not be visible in direct sunlight.

The picture shows the largest moons of Saturn: Tethys, bright because of the ice cover, visible as a dark silhouette of Mimas, Epimetheus, bluish Enceladus, next to which its geyser jets are barely visible. In addition, the image shows the small satellite Pallena, which is only 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered earlier using the Cassini apparatus. From real planets besides Earth and Saturn, the device managed to capture Mars and Venus, which look like bright points against a dark background. The outer ring of Saturn (ring E) visible in the image has an unusual blue color. It is due to the scattering of transmitted sunlight on dust particles.