After 13 years of exciting discoveries, NASA's Cassini spacecraft is making its final orbits of Saturn. On September 15 it will commence its mission-ending plunge into the thick atmosphere of the gas giant, but recent observations are proving that Cassini still has some surprises in store.
Dubbed the "Grand Finale", this conclusive phase of Cassini's mission involves 22 dives through the 1,500-mile-wide (2,400-km) gap between the planet and its rings. Since it began these final dives back in April it has sent back several stunning views of Saturn's rings, including a compelling insight into "the big empty", a fascinating expanse of space between the rings and the planet.
One of the biggest new mysteries of Saturn revealed by Cassini in these final dives is that the planet's magnetic field has no discernible tilt, with data suggesting that it is surprisingly well-aligned with the planet's rotation axis. Scientists are currently perplexed at this observation, as it is generally understood that some degree of tilt is necessary for a planet to sustain its magnetic field. Read more...
Dubbed the "Grand Finale", this conclusive phase of Cassini's mission involves 22 dives through the 1,500-mile-wide (2,400-km) gap between the planet and its rings. Since it began these final dives back in April it has sent back several stunning views of Saturn's rings, including a compelling insight into "the big empty", a fascinating expanse of space between the rings and the planet.
One of the biggest new mysteries of Saturn revealed by Cassini in these final dives is that the planet's magnetic field has no discernible tilt, with data suggesting that it is surprisingly well-aligned with the planet's rotation axis. Scientists are currently perplexed at this observation, as it is generally understood that some degree of tilt is necessary for a planet to sustain its magnetic field. Read more...