Unfortunately, when it comes to vision, humans aren't the most adapted to see the world as it really is. Only capable of seeing a relatively small portion of the electromagnetic waves possible in the spectrum, our view is narrowed to that within the visible spectrum. But thanks to our mental aptitudes, researchers are able to solve this problem by developing imaging techniques that view our world, and the universe, in a different way.
If your eyes could see truly in ultraviolet, the Earth's sky would not be the same shade of blue as we see it now. It would reflect the intense ultraviolet radiation constantly at battle with our outer atmosphere. And if your eyes could truly see in infrared, then the magnitude and elegance of Saturn's rings would be quite a sight to be seen.
However, thanks to some researchers at NASA, and some innovative imaging tools aboard the Cassini spacecraft, now humans can appreciate just how detailed Saturn's rings are in a new set of images published this week by the space agency.
In collaboration with the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory heads the Cassini mission and the two onboard cameras that were capable of capturing the unique shot. Acquired at a distance of approximately 870,000 miles from Saturn, and taken in red light, the image reveals a new view of sunlit side of the rings from roughly 11 degrees above the ringplane.
Though researchers have yet to collect samples from the rings, images such as this one allow astronomers to gain a better understanding of the possible composition of the rings, and how the strata within the ring system may change in composition as they are exposed to the harsh environment of space.
"Many Cassini color images, like this one, are taken in red light so scientists can study the often subtle color variations of Saturn's rings" NASA spokespersons say in the new release of the image. "Putting together many clues derived from such images, scientists are coming to a deeper understanding of the rings without ever actually visiting a single ring particle."
Captured on Dec. 6, 2014 the image was taken with Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera, illuminated in a red light spectrum.
