Saturn’s rings close up: NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows rings bending around planet - TomoNews
- 8 years ago
SPACE — NASA has revealed that the most recent images obtained by the Cassini spacecraft shows Saturn’s rings slightly bending around the planet, but this is just an optical illusion.
The black and white image was released on July 25.
Scientists have said that, while the rings appear to be melting, it’s just an optical illusion created by the atmosphere.
Researchers have learned through Cassini’s mission to the planet that Saturn’s rings are made of microscopic particles, which brighten significantly when the sun is almost directly behind them.
A lot of the light reflected off the rings are absorbed by the planet’s atmosphere. When the remainder of light passes through, the atmosphere acts like a lens, and bends the light. This creates the illusion that Saturn’s rings are melting.
The black and white image was released on July 25.
Scientists have said that, while the rings appear to be melting, it’s just an optical illusion created by the atmosphere.
Researchers have learned through Cassini’s mission to the planet that Saturn’s rings are made of microscopic particles, which brighten significantly when the sun is almost directly behind them.
A lot of the light reflected off the rings are absorbed by the planet’s atmosphere. When the remainder of light passes through, the atmosphere acts like a lens, and bends the light. This creates the illusion that Saturn’s rings are melting.