Saturn With Tethys and Dione

Color image of Saturn, its rings and two moons, Tethys and Dione.
January 29, 1996
PIA NumberPIA00024
Language
  • english

Saturn and two of its moons, Tethys (above) and Dione, were photographed by Voyager 1 on November 3, 1980, from 13 million kilometers (8 million miles). The shadows of Saturn's three bright rings and Tethys are cast onto the cloud tops. The limb of the planet can be seen easily through the 3,500-kilometer-wide (2,170 mile) Cassini Division, which separates ring A from ring B. The view through the much narrower Encke Division, near the outer edge of ring A is less clear. Beyond the Encke Division (at left) is the faintest of Saturn's three bright rings, the C-ring or crepe ring, barely visible against the planet. The Voyager Project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA.

Credit: NASA/JPL