                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         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.

                                  2019 May 5
                                      [2]
                        Saturn, Titan, Rings, and Haze
  Image Credit: NASA [3] , ESA [4] , JPL [5] , SSI [6] , Cassini Imaging Team
                                      [7]

Explanation: This is not a solar eclipse [8] . Pictured here [9]  is a busy
vista of moons and rings taken at Saturn. The large circular object in the
center of the image is Titan [10] , the largest moon of Saturn and one of the
most intriguing objects in the entire Solar System [11] . The dark spot in the
center is the main solid part of the moon. The bright surrounding ring is
atmospheric haze above Titan [12] , gas that is scattering sunlight to a
camera operating onboard the robotic Cassini spacecraft [13] . Cutting
horizontally across the image are the rings of Saturn [14] , seen nearly edge
on. At the lower right of Titan is Enceladus [15] , a small moon of Saturn.
Since the image was taken pointing nearly at the Sun, the surfaces of Titan
and Enceladus [16]  appear in silhouette [17] , and the rings of Saturn [18]
appear similar to a photographic negative [19] . Now if you look really really
closely at Enceladus, you can see a hint of icy jets [20]  shooting out toward
the bottom of the image. It is these jets that inspired future proposals [21]
to land [22]  on Enceladus, burrow into the ice, and search for signs of
extraterrestrial life [23] .

                Tomorrow's picture: approaching the whirlpool

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
< [24] | Archive [25] | Submissions [26] | Index [27] | Search [28] | Calendar
  [29] | RSS [30] | Education [31] | About APOD [32] | Discuss [33] | > [34]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [35] (MTU [36] ) & Jerry Bonnell [37]
                                  (UMCP [38] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [39] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [40]
              A service of: ASD [41]  at NASA [42]  / GSFC [43]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [44]
----------
Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1905/TitanBusy_Cassini_1080.jpg
  [3] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [4] https://www.esa.int/
  [5] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
  [6] https://www.spacescience.org/
  [7] http://ciclops.org/
  [8] ap130511.html
  [9] http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08235
  [10] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/saturn-moons/titan/overview/
  [11] http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/
  [12] ap040810.html
  [13] http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/overview/
  [14]
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Saturn&Display=Rings
  [15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus_(moon)
  [16] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL4LTFBO10Q
  [17] ap120528.html
  [18] ap121231.html
  [19] http://s1.favim.com/orig/8/black-cat-pet-white-Favim.com-168987.jpg
  [20] ap091124.html
  [21]
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-2751/
year-all/#gallery/4874
  [22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus_Life_Signatures_and_Habitability
  [23]
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/features/secret-life-saturns-moon-enceladus/
  [24] ap190504.html
  [25] archivepix.html
  [26] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [27] lib/aptree.html
  [28] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [29] calendar/allyears.html
  [30] /apod.rss
  [31] lib/edlinks.html
  [32] lib/about_apod.html
  [33] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190505
  [34] ap190506.html
  [35] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [36] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [37] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [38] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [39] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [40] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [41] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [42] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [43] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [44] http://www.mtu.edu/
