http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm Latest from Cassini Solstice Mission en-us 30 30 http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/images/saturn-30.gif 26 Titan might be in for some wild weather as it heads into its spring.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130522/ On May 23, Cassini makes a close flyby of Titan looking for waves.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/titan20130523/ Cassini is taking full advantage of the sunlight to capture these amazing views of the north polar hexagon and myriad storms, large and small.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=4817 Scientists map the highs and lows of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130515/ Scientists have created the first global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan, giving researchers a valuable tool for learning more about one of the most Earth-like and interesting worlds in the solar system. The map was just published as part of a paper in the journal Icarus.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130515/ Cassini has provided scientists the first close-up, visible-light views of a behemoth hurricane swirling around Saturn's north pole. In high-resolution pictures and video, scientists see the hurricane's eye is about 20 times larger than the average hurricane eye on Earth. Thin, bright clouds at the outer edge of the hurricane are traveling 330 mph. The hurricane swirls inside a large, mysterious, six-sided weather pattern known as the hexagon.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsreleases/newsrelease20130429/ Researchers working with data from Cassini have discovered one way the bubble of charged particles around Saturn -- known as the magnetosphere -- changes with the planet's seasons. The finding provides an important clue for solving a riddle about the planet's naturally occurring radio signal. The results might also help scientists better understand variations in Earth's magnetosphere and Van Allen radiation belts, which affect a variety of activities at Earth.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130502a/ NASA's Cassini spacecraft has provided the first direct evidence of small meteoroids breaking into streams of rubble and crashing into Saturn's rings. These observations make Saturn's rings the only location besides Earth, the moon and Jupiter where scientists and amateur astronomers have been able to observe impacts as they occur. Studying the impact rate of meteoroids from outside the Saturnian system helps scientists understand how different planet systems in our solar system formed.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsreleases/newsrelease20130425 By tracking a part of the surface of Saturn's moon Titan over several years, NASA's Cassini mission has found a remarkable longevity to the hydrocarbon lakes on the moon's surface. A team led by Christophe Sotin of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., fed these results into a model that suggests the supply of the hydrocarbon methane at Titan could be coming to an end soon (on geological timescales).]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130415/ An ice cloud taking shape over Titan's south pole is the latest sign that the change of seasons is setting off a cascade of radical changes in the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon. Made from an unknown ice, this type of cloud has long hung over Titan's north pole, where it is now fading, according to observations made by the composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) on NASA's Cassini spacecraft.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130411/ A new study tracks the ''rain'' of charged water particles into the atmosphere of Saturn and finds there is more of it and it falls across larger areas of the planet than previously thought. The study, whose observations were funded by NASA and whose analysis was led by the University of Leicester, England, reveals that the rain influences the composition and temperature structure of parts of Saturn's upper atmosphere.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130410/ A new analysis of Cassini data suggests that Saturn's moons and rings are gently worn vintage goods from around the time of our solar system's birth. Though they are tinted on the surface from recent ''pollution,'' these bodies date back more than 4 billion years. They are from around the time that the planetary bodies in our neighborhood began to form out of the protoplanetary nebula, the cloud of material still orbiting the sun after its ignition as a star.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130327/ Cassini tracks the shifting shape of holes in Jupiter's atmosphere over time. In the swirling canopy of Jupiter's atmosphere, cloudless patches are so exceptional that the big ones get the special name ''hot spots.'' Exactly how these clearings form and why they're only found near the planet's equator have long been mysteries.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130314/ This month’s version of ''What’s Up'' highlights Saturn and ring viewing angles as well as the Cassini spacecraft orbit inclination and April 5th Titan flyby. Saturn's north pole is now tilted towards Earth, giving us the best view of the rings since 2006. Learn about other viewing highlights this month too. You'll also see a beautiful depiction of Cassini's current inclined orbits and learn about this week's Titan flyby.]]> http://go.nasa.gov/10CxDF6 Following its last close flyby of Saturn's moon Rhea, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured these raw, unprocessed images of the battered icy moon. They show an ancient, cratered surface bearing the scars of collisions with many space rocks. Scientists are still trying to understand some of the curious features they see in these Rhea images, including a curving, narrow fracture or graben, which is a block of ground lower than its surroundings and bordered by cliffs on either side.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130311/ A distant world gleaming in sunlight, Earth's twin planet, Venus, shines like a bright beacon in images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn. One special image of Venus and Saturn was taken last November when Cassini was placed in the shadow of Saturn. This allowed Cassini to look in the direction of the sun and Venus, and take a backlit image of Saturn and its rings in a particular viewing geometry called ''high solar phase.'']]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsreleases/newsrelease20130304/ During a chance encounter with what appears to be an unusually strong blast of solar wind at Saturn, NASA's Cassini spacecraft detected particles being accelerated to ultra-high energies. This is similar to the acceleration that takes place around distant supernovas.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130219 A team of scientists with NASA's Cassini mission, led by Xianzhe Jia of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has developed new models and simulations that successfully account for these periodic signatures by inserting vortices in Saturn's upper atmosphere or ionosphere (a high layer of the atmosphere where the powerful radiation of the solar wind dissociates atmospheric particles into ions and free electrons).]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassiniscienceleague/science20130209/ A paper published this week using data from NASA's Cassini mission describes in more detail than ever before how aerosols in the highest part of the atmosphere are kick-started at Saturn's moon Titan. Scientists want to understand aerosol formation at Titan because it could help predict the behavior of smoggy aerosol layers on Earth.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130204 Scientists see a monstrous thunder-and-lightning storm sputter out after it churns around the planet and encounters its own wake.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130131/ Titan's siblings must be jealous. While most of Saturn's moons display their ancient faces pockmarked by thousands of craters, Titan – Saturn's largest moon – may look much younger than it really is because its craters are getting erased. Dunes of exotic, hydrocarbon sand are slowly but steadily filling in its craters, according to new research using observations from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130117/ Eight years ago today, the European Space Agency's Huygens bounced, slid and wobbled its way to rest on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. It had been "dropped off" 21 days before by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The anniversary marks a touchdown on the most remote alien surface ever visited by a landing probe.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130114/ Saturn's north polar hexagon basks in the Sun's light now that spring has come to the northern hemisphere. Many smaller storms dot the north polar region and Saturn's signature rings, which appear to disappear on account of Saturn's shadow, put in an appearance in the background. The north polar hexagon was first observed by Voyager. To see more of the hexagon, see The Persistent Hexagon and Spring Reveals Saturn's Hexagon Jet Stream.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=4736 The scientific discoveries made possible by the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn keep coming in at an astounding pace. How many layers does this solar-system-in-miniature have to unveil? As the data arrives, scientists the world over are digging deeper into the mysteries of the Saturnian system. Chosen by scientists on the Cassini mission, these 10 science highlights stood out in 2012.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130103/ As the Cassini spacecraft roams the Saturnian system, each year it opens new windows on an amazing corner of our solar system. Images of mighty Saturn, its majestic rings, and the dynamic moons continue to stun us, offering ever-changing vistas that are truly inspiring. This collection of 10 best images was selected by the scientists on the mission. You can imagine their pride.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20121219/ It's not exactly icing on a cake, but it could be icing on a lake. A new paper by scientists on NASA's Cassini mission finds that blocks of hydrocarbon ice might decorate the surface of existing lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbon on Saturn's moon Titan.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20130108 On Oct. 17, 2012, during its 174th orbit around the gas giant, Cassini was deliberately positioned within Saturn's shadow, a perfect location from which to look in the direction of the sun and take a backlit view of the rings and the dark side of the planet. Looking back towards the sun is a geometry referred to by planetary scientists as ''high solar phase;'' near the center of your target's shadow is the highest phase possible.]]> http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsreleases/newsrelease20121218