                APOD: 2017 September 16 - Cassini s Final Image

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                              2017 September 16
                                      [2]
                            Cassini's Final Image
    Image Credit: NASA [3] , JPL-Caltech [4] , Space Science Institute [5]

Explanation: As planned, the Cassini spacecraft impacted the upper atmosphere
of Saturn on September 15, after a 13 year long exploration of the Saturnian
System [6] . With spacecraft thrusters firing until the end, its atmospheric
entry followed an unprecedented series of 22 Grand Finale dives between Saturn
and rings. Cassini's final signal [7] took 83 minutes to reach planet Earth
and the Deep Space Network antenna complex in Canberra Australia where loss of
contact with the spacecraft was recorded at 11:55 UT. For the spacecraft [8] ,
Saturn was bright and the Sun was overhead as it plowed into the gas giant
planet's swirling cloud tops at about 70,000 miles (113,000 kilometers) per
hour. But Cassini's final image [9]  shows the impact site [10] hours earlier
and still on the planet's night side, the cloud tops illuminated by ringlight,
sunlight reflected from Saturn's rings.

                  Tomorrow's picture: big bright galaxy [11]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [23] (MTU [24] ) & Jerry Bonnell [25]
                                  (UMCP [26] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [27] .
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              A service of: ASD [29]  at NASA [30]  / GSFC [31]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [32]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1709/pia21895_CassiniImpactsite_finalimage_1042.png
  [3] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [4] http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
  [5] http://www.spacescience.org/index.php
  [6] https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/the-saturn-system.html
  [7] https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/grand-finale/
cassini-end-of-mission-timeline/
  [8] https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/
cassini-spacecraft-makes-its-final-approach-to-saturn
  [9] https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/pia21895/ cassinis-final-image
  [10] https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/pia21896/ impact-site-infrared
  [11] ap170917.html
  [12] ap170915.html
  [13] archivepix.html
  [14] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [15] lib/aptree.html
  [16] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
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  [21] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=170916
  [22] ap170917.html
  [23] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [24] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [25] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [26] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [27] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
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  [30] http://www.nasa.gov/
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