Ring propeller
Date: 15 September 2017
Satellite: Cassini
Copyright: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Before concluding its mission on 15 September 2017, Cassini captured one last view of a lone 'propeller' feature, one of many such small-scale dynamical features created by small moonlets embedded in the rings as they attempt, unsuccessfully, to open gaps in the ring material.
The image was taken on 13 September 2017 with the wide-angle camera at a distance of 676 000 km from Saturn. Image scale 3.7 km per pixel. It is among the last images Cassini sent back to Earth.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA and the Italian Space Agency.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
