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Back Saturn Ring-Plane Crossing

Saturn Ring-Plane Crossing


Depicts: Saturn, Tethys, Dione
Copyright: Amanda S. Bosh (Lowell Observatory), Andrew S. Rivkin (Univ. of Arizona/LPL), the HST High Speed Photometer Instrument Team (R.C. Bless, PI), and NASA

This picture was taken shortly before the ring plane crossing. The rings do not disappear completely because the edge of the rings reflects sunlight. The dark band across the middle of Saturn is the shadow of the rings cast on the planet (the Sun is almost 3 degrees above the ring plane).
Last Update: 1 September 2019
7-Feb-2026 13:32 UT

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