It may be pretty, but this image of Saturn's famous rings is also a boon for astronomers.

Taken by Cassini’s infrared composite spectrometer, this false color image shows the unlit side of Saturn’s rings according to temperature overlayed on a second image of Saturn and its ring system. They are the most detailed temperature measurements of the planet’s rings to date.

Relatively warm areas - 110 Kelvin (-281 degrees Fahrenheit) - appear in red, with cooler regions - about 70 Kelvin (- 333 degrees Fahrenheit) – show up blue. The green areas represent temperatures of 90 Kelvin (-298 degrees Fahrenheit).

Released this month, this image was taken on July 1 just after Cassini entered orbit around Saturn.

The temperature data shows many features scientists had only been able to predict, among them that opaque ring regions (such as the outer A ring on the far right) are cooler, while more transparent areas like the Cassini Division (the red inside the A ring) and C ring (the inner yellow and red area) are warmer. Researchers believe the opaque areas are cooler because they let less light through.

Saturn itself is over exposed in this image, leading to its white appearance. In addition to the planet and its rings, Cassini also spotted the Saturnian moon Enceladus in this observation. The moon appears below the rings towards the image’s center.

-- SPACE.com Staff

Credit: NASA/JPL