Full Version: Rev 125 - Jan 19-Feb 4, 2010 - Titan T66, Prometheus
Unmanned Spaceflight.com > Outer Solar System > Saturn > Cassini Huygens > Cassini's ongoing mission and raw images
NAC RGB ring scan of the left ring ansa, unlit side, 2010-01-23:
Very nice! As if the bright F and C rings and Cassini Division weren't enough of a clue, this observation was taken at high phase over the "unlit" side of the rings. I put unlit in quotes as there is obviously some contribution from Saturn shine as well.
Wow, very beautiful!
Image from [EDIT: UN]lit side of rings. Movement of a sheparding moon and ringlet chunks can be seen as multicolored splots in the lower right part of the image:
(processing details on flickr)
Click to view attachment
-Mike
(processing details on flickr)
Click to view attachment
-Mike
I think that is still the unlit side I do believe...
QUOTE (volcanopele @ Jan 25 2010, 08:54 PM) 
I think that is still the unlit side I do believe...
Gaaah! (Corrected)
nice 
The moving parts really jump out in such a composite.
The moving parts really jump out in such a composite.
What the.... ? Does Aegaeon (btw, is it spelled that way or Aegeaon as in Looking Ahead?) really look like a stick or is that motion smear?
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...7/N00150218.jpg
Sure looks like the former case based on all the raw images. Is this a high phase shot?
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...7/N00150218.jpg
Sure looks like the former case based on all the raw images. Is this a high phase shot?
No it's Aegaeon, I just spelled it wrong... Noticed that last night... 
The phase angle is around 75 deg.
The phase angle is around 75 deg.
At 75 degrees phase angle, did we just discover the most elongated object ever imaged so far?
Here's an animation that runs through 17 of the 18 Aegaeon NAC shots (skipping the second one, in which I just couldn't find it). Flickering is caused by Cassini using different exposures & different filters. It's enlarged 2x.
QUOTE (ugordan @ Jan 28 2010, 11:55 AM)
did we just discover the most elongated object ever imaged so far?
Wow. I can't think of anything more elongated, but what if this is a saucer shape like Pan or Atlas, being viewed edge-on?
Definitely interesting. Thanks for the animation, Emily.
QUOTE (ugordan @ Jan 28 2010, 10:55 AM)
At 75 degrees phase angle, did we just discover the most elongated object ever imaged so far?
No. It is elongated as it should be in the sub- to anti-Saturn points, but from this phase it is hard to call it "the most elongated object".
Click to view attachment
Atlas is definitely thin, but this one appears to outdo it, assuming we didn't by chance get aligned at Aegaeon's equator. Tantalizing. I'd love to see a RGB color composite and compare it to other small rocks, I'd guess this one will turn out to be bluish as well.
Best I can do with Aegaeon - images from the start and end of the sequence. Each is a composite of about 6 or 7 frames, omitting the invisible or saturated frames, enlarged to 400%.
Phil
Click to view attachment
Phil
Click to view attachment
Dione. Mosaic of four images. Severely warped, tweaked, cajoled, and finally beaten into submission to account for spacecraft motion:
Click to view attachment
(Raw images N00150251 and N00150252, accounting for the 75% of the image on the right, were left unmolested.)
Full resolution here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4312865986/
-Mike
Click to view attachment
(Raw images N00150251 and N00150252, accounting for the 75% of the image on the right, were left unmolested.)
Full resolution here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4312865986/
-Mike
Wide angle mosaic of unlit side of rings taken on January 27, 2010.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4315144580/
At full resolution, at least 8 ring spokes can be seen in the B-ring.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4315144580/
At full resolution, at least 8 ring spokes can be seen in the B-ring.
Mike - I wasn't impressed, then I clicked "full resolution" - wow!
I like the fact that you didn't correct the RGB separation of that little moon (must be Prometheus, I guess) near the ansa. Sometimes it's nice to leave that stuff in, and then let people ask why it looks like that -- it gives you an opportunity to explain the way color imaging works.
Agreed, coolness on the number of spokes!
Agreed, coolness on the number of spokes!
Only three frames for this? What I was just looking at is only the rings and no Saturn.
QUOTE
Sunday, Feb. 7 (DOY 038)
Along with Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) and Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) science observations, the Spacecraft Operations Office performed a reaction wheel bias, the Magnetometer performed a downlink roll calibration, and the flight team had an opportunity for what is called a "Kodak Moment." A Kodak Moment as the name implies is an opportunity for an aesthetically pleasing image to be taken. Mission Planning identifies many such opportunities but only about one per sequence may be implemented, and only if the Navigation team is able to release an Optical Navigation image placeholder, and only if margins and workforce allow. For S57 the team was able to obtain a nice image of Titan, Rhea, the rings, and Saturn to add to the album.
Along with Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) and Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) science observations, the Spacecraft Operations Office performed a reaction wheel bias, the Magnetometer performed a downlink roll calibration, and the flight team had an opportunity for what is called a "Kodak Moment." A Kodak Moment as the name implies is an opportunity for an aesthetically pleasing image to be taken. Mission Planning identifies many such opportunities but only about one per sequence may be implemented, and only if the Navigation team is able to release an Optical Navigation image placeholder, and only if margins and workforce allow. For S57 the team was able to obtain a nice image of Titan, Rhea, the rings, and Saturn to add to the album.
I see the nightside of Saturn illuminated by the rings...
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...7/W00062957.jpg
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...7/W00062957.jpg
A couple more Prometheus images got posted from the Jan 27th flyby.
Here's an RGB composite of when it's crescent was thinnest.
Click to view attachment
Here's an RGB composite of when it's crescent was thinnest.
Click to view attachment
3 frame animation of RGB images from Cassini's January 27 2010 flyby:
Click to view attachment
Full res here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4352313325/
source RGB composite images:
thin crescent: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4351979611/
mid crescent: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4353017468/
widest crescent: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4352280765/
Click to view attachment
Full res here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4352313325/
source RGB composite images:
thin crescent: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4351979611/
mid crescent: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4353017468/
widest crescent: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4352280765/
A rework of an earlier mosaic that I did for another purpose and thought I'd link to it here.
It is a graphic that annotates and compares the Saturn Ring raw image mosaic of January 27, 2010 to PIA08389 (unlit side of rings mosaic). The Cassini raw image mosaic is enlarged 2x. Kinda cool to see how the brightness of the B-ring seems to vary around the ring - a phase angle backscatter thing?
Click to view attachment
The high (and I mean really big - 15,000 x 5,000) mosaic is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4509772726/
It is a graphic that annotates and compares the Saturn Ring raw image mosaic of January 27, 2010 to PIA08389 (unlit side of rings mosaic). The Cassini raw image mosaic is enlarged 2x. Kinda cool to see how the brightness of the B-ring seems to vary around the ring - a phase angle backscatter thing?
Click to view attachment
The high (and I mean really big - 15,000 x 5,000) mosaic is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/4509772726/
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