Grand Finale Archives

Grand Final part 4: Cassini completes eighth ring crossing, and a ‘tour of Saturn’s moons’

June 12, 2017 by Paul Scott Anderson

A haunting raw image view of Saturn and its rings taken on June 7, 2017 by Cassini. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

As Cassini’s “Grand Finale” journey continues, the spacecraft has completed its eighth dive past the innermost rings of Saturn (known as a ring crossing), and there are now just under 100 days left until it plunges into the giant planet’s atmosphere, never to come back. Although time may be running out, Cassini continues to devour every drop of science data that it can, which builds upon other data that has transformed our view of the Saturnian system – a complex array of worlds like a miniature Solar System. This includes, of course, more fantastic images of Saturn and its rings and moons. The detail seen in the rings is nothing short of staggering.

Grand Finale part 2: Cassini completes second epic dive into Saturn’s rings

May 4, 2017 by Paul Scott Anderson

Illustration of Cassini crossing the ring plane between Saturn and its innermost rings .Cassini has now completed its second dive into the rings of Saturn, with 20 left to go during the Grand Finale. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Cassini’s “dance” with Saturn’s rings continues – the probe has now completed its second dive into the rings (orbit 272), specifically the gap between the innermost rings and Saturn itself. That leaves 20 more similar dives to go, as part of the Grand Finale phase of Cassini’s mission before the fateful end on Sept. 15. This is the closest that any spacecraft has ever come to Saturn, showing the rings and the planet itself in detail never seen before.

Image Gallery: More closest-ever Cassini images from Saturn

April 30, 2017 by Paul Scott Anderson

Bluish-coloured storm at Saturn’s north pole, in the middle of the larger “hexagon” jet stream. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Jason Major

Since the previous post about Cassini’s first dive between Saturn and its rings on April 26, more images have become available. These are the closest-ever images taken of Saturn, showing the north polar region with a huge bluish-coloured storm at the centre of the massive “hexagon” jet stream and many other smaller storms and eddies in the atmosphere. As it dove through the gap, Cassini came within about 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) of Saturn’s cloud tops and within about 300 kilometres (200 miles) of the innermost visible edge of the rings. Cassini’s next dive through the gap is scheduled for May 2. See also Sophia Nasr’s (@Pharaoness) beautiful and haunting processed Cassini image taken a couple days later, on April 29.

Cassini sends back spectacular new images from first-ever dive between Saturn and its rings

April 28, 2017 by Paul Scott Anderson

Three of the new raw images taken during Cassini’s first dive between Saturn and its innermost rings. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

After waiting with bated breath last night, everyone following Cassini’s first-ever dive through the gap between Saturn and its rings let out a collective sigh of relief – the spacecraft made it! This was the first time a probe had ever flown this close to Saturn’s atmosphere and inner rings, and while mission scientists were confident the probe would sail through unharmed, it wasn’t a 100% guarantee, either. But it did, and this is just the first of 22 such dives through this region as part of the “Grand Finale” phase of the mission.

Cassini enters ‘Grand Finale’ phase of mission and solves a ‘bubbling mystery’ on Titan’s seas

April 21, 2017 by Paul Scott Anderson

Artist’s conception of Cassini’s final flyby of Titan on April 21. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This week marks another important milestone in the Cassini mission at Saturn – as of today, the spacecraft is conducting the last Ring-Grazing Orbit of its mission as it prepares for the Grand Finale, which will culminate in the death of the probe on Sept. 15. On April 21, Cassini will do its very last close flyby of Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Speaking of Titan, Cassini has also apparently solved a perplexing mystery; the unusual “magic island” formations seen in one of the moon’s methane/ethane seas are now thought to be caused by nitrogen bubbles fizzing periodically on the sea’s surface.

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