Voyager 1 Encounters SaturnUnited States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Science
Voyager 1 Encounters Saturn
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Saturn (Planet) -- Photographs from space; Saturn probes; Voyager Project
[Illustration: 10/18/80 34 million km (21 million mi)
The North Temperate Belt is visible as the violet-colored belt in
this false-color photograph. In this image, features which are
especially bright in ultraviolet light appear as turquoise and
violet, while ultraviolet-dark areas appear orange. Notice in
particular the three spots (two bright orange and one pale violet)
at mid-northern latitudes. The bright spots are similar to those
shown at much higher resolution in later images. The distinct color
difference between the North Equatorial Belt and Saturn’s other
belts and zones may be due to a thick haze layer covering the
northern portion of the belt. It is not yet understood why the
southern hemisphere of the planet (below the rings) appears bluer
than the northern hemisphere. Color spots in the rings are artifacts
of image processing.]
[Illustration: 10/30/80 18 million km (11 million mi)
Saturn’s soft, velvety appearance and previously unseen detail in
its mysterious rings became visible as Voyager 1 approached the
planet. For example, a gap in the dark C-Ring is now visible, and
material can be seen within the relatively wide Cassini Division
(long believed to be empty), which separates the B-Ring (middle)
from the A-Ring (outer). The Encke Division appears near the outer
edge of the A-Ring. Detail can be seen within the shadow cast by the
rings upon the planet: the broad, dark band near the equator is the
shadow of the B-Ring; the thinner, brighter line just to the south
is the shadow of the less dense A-Ring. Three of Saturn’s moons,
Tethys (outer left), Enceladus (inner left), and Mimas (right) are
also visible in this computer mosaic of Voyager 1 images.]
[Illustration: 11/6/80 8.5 million km (5.3 million mi)
An unusual red oval cloud feature, similar to (but smaller than)
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, was discovered in the southern hemisphere
of Saturn. The oval, 6000 kilometers (4000 miles) in length, is
located at 55 degrees south latitude. The difference in color
between the red oval and the surrounding bluish clouds in these two
false-color images indicates that material within the oval contains
a substance that absorbs more blue and violet light than the bluish
clouds. Voyager scientists first observed the oval in August 1980,
and the feature has retained its appearance since its discovery.]
[Illustration: 11/6/80 8 million km (5 million mi)
In this photograph, the shadow of the satellite Dione is seen as a
dark circle on the face of the planet.]
[Illustration: 11/10/80 3.5 million km (2.2 million mi)
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