Robby
29th December 2007, 06:15 AM
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0712/irsaturn_vims_c80.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0712/irsaturn_vims_f.jpg)
Saturn's Infrared Glow
Credit: VIMS Team (http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu/), U. Arizona (http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/), ESA (http://www.esa.int/), NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html)
Explanation: (xxxedit and linkxxx) Known for its bright ring (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071217.html) system and many moons (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071010.html), gas giant Saturn looks strange and unfamiliar in this false-color view from the Cassini spacecraft. In fact, in this (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08732) Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS (http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu/)) mosaic the famous rings are almost invisible, seen edge-on cutting across picture center. The most striking contrast in the image is along the terminator or boundary between night and day. To the right (day side) blue-green hues are visible sunlight reflected from Saturn's cloud tops. But on the left (night side) in the absence of sunlight, the lantern-like (http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ press-release-details.cfm?newsID=694) glow of infrared radiation from the planet's warm interior silhouettes features at Saturn's deeper (http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ press-release-details.cfm?newsID=696) cloud levels.
APOD presents: Astronomy Pictures of the Year for 2007 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/apoys2007.html)
(Via NASA) (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071229.html)
Saturn's Infrared Glow
Credit: VIMS Team (http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu/), U. Arizona (http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/), ESA (http://www.esa.int/), NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html)
Explanation: (xxxedit and linkxxx) Known for its bright ring (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071217.html) system and many moons (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071010.html), gas giant Saturn looks strange and unfamiliar in this false-color view from the Cassini spacecraft. In fact, in this (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08732) Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS (http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu/)) mosaic the famous rings are almost invisible, seen edge-on cutting across picture center. The most striking contrast in the image is along the terminator or boundary between night and day. To the right (day side) blue-green hues are visible sunlight reflected from Saturn's cloud tops. But on the left (night side) in the absence of sunlight, the lantern-like (http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ press-release-details.cfm?newsID=694) glow of infrared radiation from the planet's warm interior silhouettes features at Saturn's deeper (http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ press-release-details.cfm?newsID=696) cloud levels.
APOD presents: Astronomy Pictures of the Year for 2007 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/apoys2007.html)
(Via NASA) (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071229.html)