WE鈥橰E getting up close and personal with Saturn, thanks to Cassini. The NASA spacecraft has made the first of its 22 planned dives between Saturn鈥檚 rings, taking it closer to the gas giant than any probe before.
These Grand Finale orbits, each taking only six days, will yield a wealth of information about Saturn. The image on the left shows the rings as Cassini rocketed through at more than 100,000 kilometres an hour.
The picture appears as it was received from the spacecraft. In the coming days and weeks, researchers will process each set of images, sharpening them and adding colour using data from Cassini itself.
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Before swooping down toward the planet, Cassini flew high over its north pole, snapping images of the pole and rings. Cassini also took images of Saturn鈥檚 tiny icy moon, Enceladus, as well as storms in Saturn鈥檚 atmosphere. It will map the planet鈥檚 gravity and magnetic fields, giving scientists a window into the planet鈥檚 interior.
As Cassini travels between the planet and its rings, it will sample the particles drifting from the rings into the atmosphere, measuring how much dust and ice the rings really have.
The end of the Grand Finale mission in September will also be the end of the Cassini spacecraft. Low on fuel, it will crash into Saturn in order to protect the planet鈥檚 moons from contamination by any Earth microbes that may have hitched a ride all these years.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淐assini takes first plunge鈥�
