Cassinis flyby images and videos

Though I expected better pictures of Saturn, looking at these pictures and the videos was exciting too. I guess I was expecting a little too much :)

The new flyover maps show, for the first time, the 3-D topography and height of the 1,200-meter (4,000-foot) mountain tops, the north polar lake country, the vast dunes more than 100 meters (300 feet) high that crisscross the moon, and the thick flows that may have oozed from possible ice volcanoes.

Here are the links to the Videos of the 3-D terrain.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/files/PIA11830%20color%20FIG%201.mov
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/files/PIA11831%20Hotei.mov

Source: jpl.nasa.org

Cassinis Equinox Mission (Flyby - 19 hrs from now)

Cassini is another NASA mission and it completed its initial four-year’s of exploring the Saturn System. Now, the healthy spacecraft is working overtime on the Cassini Equinox Mission, seeking answer to new questions raised in Cassini’s first years at Saturn. It initially observed the southern hemisphere of Saturn and now its set to observe the Northen side. In August 2009 when the sun will shine directly on the equator and then begin to illuminate the northern hemisphere and the rings’ northern face, Cassini will observe seasonal changes brought by the changing Suns angle on Saturn, its Rings and its Moons, which were illuminated from the south during the mission’s first four years.

Many repeat visits(flybys) are planned for Cassini at the moons Titan and Enceladus – both important targets of the Equinox Mission. Cassinis next encounter with Titan is in about 19 hrs from now. Looking forward for a few Titan pictures!

Courtesy: jpl.nasa.gov