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Saturn’s magnificent
rings star in this donut-like view taken by the Cassini spacecraft.
The planet
itself has been removed from view, blotted out to highlight the intricate set
of rings as Cassini passed over head at an elevation of about 60 degrees -- the
probe’s highest yet vantage point of Saturn.
This image
is actually a compilation of 27 separate views -- nine separate sets of red,
green and blue components -- taken over about 45 minutes and then assembled
into a mosaic by scientists on Earth.
It is one
of several released
March 1 by NASA, though the image group was taken in late January [VIDEO:
Cassini’s Crossing].
Cassini
used its wide-angle camera to photograph Saturn’s rings from a distance of
about one million miles (1.6 million kilometers). The moons Epimetheus (in the
one o’clock position), Pandora (at five o’clock), and Janus (10 o’clock) are
visible in this view.
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