Image scale on Saturn is 43 miles (69 kilometers) per pixel image scale on the Earth is 53,820 miles (86,620 kilometers) per pixel. The images were obtained with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Jat a distance of approximately 753,000 miles (1.212 million kilometers) from Saturn, and approximately 898.414 million miles (1.445858 billion kilometers) from Earth. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 20 degrees below the ring plane. That opportunity allowed people around the world to join together in social events to celebrate the occasion. The acquisition of this image, along with the accompanying composite narrow- and wide-angle image of Earth and the moon and the full mosaic from which both are taken, marked the first time that inhabitants of Earth knew in advance that their planet was being imaged. This is only the third time ever that Earth has been imaged from the outer solar system. (The two are clearly seen as separate objects in the accompanying composite image: PIA14949.) The other bright dots nearby are stars. An arrow indicates their location in the annotated version. The E and G rings have been brightened for better visibility.Įarth, which is 898 million miles (1.44 billion kilometers) away in this image, appears as a blue dot at center right the moon can be seen as a fainter protrusion off its right side. The “breaks” in the brightness of Saturn’s limb are due to the shadows of the rings on the globe of Saturn, preventing sunlight from shining through the atmosphere in those regions. The dark side of Saturn, its bright limb, the main rings, the F ring, and the G and E rings are clearly seen the limb of Saturn and the F ring are overexposed. This is the only wide-angle footprint that has the Earth-moon system in it. At each footprint, images were taken in different spectral filters for a total of 323 images: some were taken for scientific purposes and some to produce a natural color mosaic. It is only one footprint in a mosaic of 33 footprints covering the entire Saturn ring system (including Saturn itself). In this rare image taken on July 19, 2013, the wide-angle camera on NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has captured Saturn’s rings and our planet Earth and its moon in the same frame. In this rare image taken on July 19, 2013, the wide-angle camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured Saturn's rings and our planet Earth and its moon in the same frame.
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