土星的夜晚

2024年11月2日

Saturn at Night
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Mindaugas Macijauskas

Explanation: Saturn is bright in Earth’s night skies. Telescopic views of the outer gas giant planet and its beautiful rings often make it a star at star parties. But this stunning view of Saturn’s rings and night side just isn’t possible from telescopes in the vicinity of planet Earth. Peering out from the inner Solar System they can only bring Saturn’s day side into view. In fact, this image of Saturn’s slender sunlit crescent with night’s shadow cast across its broad and complex ring system was captured by the Cassini spacecraft. A robot spacecraft from planet Earth, Cassini called Saturn orbit home for 13 years before it was directed to dive into the atmosphere of the gas giant on September 15, 2017. This magnificent mosaic is composed of frames recorded by Cassini’s wide-angle camera only two days before its grand final plunge. Saturn’s night will not be seen again until another spaceship from Earth calls.

Tomorrow’s picture: gaze into the abyss

土星的夜晚
影像提供: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Mindaugas Macijauskas

说明: 土星是地球夜空中很明亮的天体。透过望远镜可以清楚见到它的身影和美丽的环系，因此它常成为星空派对的主角。然而，这些位于地球附近的望远镜，只能为我们带来土星的白昼面，像这幅迷人的影像所呈现的土星环系和夜晚，则是比外行星更贴近太阳的望远镜见不到的景观。这张记录土星美丽蛾眉日耀区和投射在庞大复杂环系上的暗影之影像，是由卡西尼号太空船所拍摄的。来自地球的卡西尼号无人太空船，长达13年以土星轨道为家，然后在2017年9月15日，接获指令跃入这颗气态巨行星的大气。这幅壮丽的拼接影像，组合自卡西尼号最后舍身告别的前二天，由太空船上的广角相机所拍摄的多张照片。土星的夜晚景观将不复再现，除非未来又有来自地球的太空船到访。

明日的图片: gaze into the abyss