Image of the Day: Saturn's Eclipse of the Sun

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The above image is an actual photograph. Really. The Cassini exploratory spacecraft was launched in October 1997, and entered into orbit around the planet Saturn almost 7 years later, in July 2004.  Its mission was to last until 2008, but it has been extended to at least 2017, so it still travels in the region of Saturn.

In September 2006, Cassini went behind Saturn, and took photos of the planet from its shadow as it blocked the Sun in the distance. The Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory explained how the panoramic image was created:

“This marvelous panoramic view was created by combining a total of 165 images taken by the Cassini wide-angle camera over nearly three hours on Sept. 15, 2006. The full mosaic consists of three rows of nine wide-angle camera footprints; only a portion of the full mosaic is shown here. Color in the view was created by digitally compositing ultraviolet, infrared and clear filter images and was then adjusted to resemble natural color.”

If you click on the image, you will see a much more detailed photo. Clicking again might increase it even more. And there is a hidden bonus: If you look carefully to the left of Saturn, out near its final rings, you will see a small dot of light. That is none other than the planet Earth.

The following video uses no special computer effects or CGI animation. It was composed entirely of Cassini photographs. Unfortunately, full-screen viewing loses much of the clarity of the original. But you get the point.