NASA's Cassini spacecraft sends its love this Valentine's Day with photos of Saturn's beautiful rings, moons and polar vortex. This color-enhanced photo, taken by Cassini offers a spectacular view of the strange hexagonal storm swirling above Saturn's north pole, as well as the gas giant's iconic rings and banded atmosphere.
This stunning view captures Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus, tucked within the planet's E ring. The photo is a composite of images taken by Cassini. Enceladus has a diameter of 314 miles (505 kilometers), and despite its freezing temperatures, scientists say the moon hosts liquid water beneath its surface and therefore has the potential to support life, according to Space.com.
Another amazing composite photo captures Saturn's largest moon, Titan, as a crescent with a distinct cyan-colored layer of haze in the moon's upper atmosphere. We're so gratified that Cassini's images have inspired people to work with the pictures themselves to produce such beautiful creations, as noted by the same post.
Before Cassini's mission at Saturn comes to an end, NASA is launching a campaign called "Cassini Inspires" to celebrate the curiosity and wonder the mission has instilled in both the public and the scientific community. Moreover, Saturn's rings were captured in a stunning and captivating way.
With this campaign, people are invited to share an original Saturn-inspired painting, music, poetry, fiction, video or other media on social media with the tag #CassiniInspires.