Science

Cassini’s Cruise Around Saturn

A close-up look at the universe’s many wonders, from nearby planets to faraway galaxies.
  • Photo: ESA/Hubble & NASA
    01
    The loosely bound galaxy of IC 4710 has no central core or spiraled arms—instead, it’s built out of a loose jumble of stars. (The bright blues are the most newly formed.)
  • Photo: NASA
    02
    This stunning infrared photo shows Jupiter’s north pole adorned with a flower of eight massive cyclones that are up to 2,900 miles across—and the ones on the south pole are even bigger.
  • Photo: NASA
    03
    You know that feeling when you’re driving past Saturn and the sun hits your window? No? It might look something like this. The sun hit the Cassini spacecraft’s camera lens at just the right angle, creating streaks across the image.
  • Photo: NASA
    04
    The focus of this shot is the Martian sand dunes, but scientists are most fascinated by the pattern of boulders between the dunes. Frost heaves similar to this are seen on Earth when the freezing and thawing of rocks organizes them into piles.
  • Photo: NASA
    05
    Jupiter isn’t the only gas giant with bizarre weather. Saturn’s great white spots, captured here, are actually swirling lightning storms. These storms occur every Saturnian year—or every *thirty* Earth years.
  • Photo: Sergio Otarola/ESO
    06
    The night sky over Chile's Atcama desert is perfect for stargazing—and even more ideal for the telescopes that make up the ALMA array located just below the frame in this photo.

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