Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2021 September 11
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                               Saturn at Night
     Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]JPL-Caltech, [5]Space Science Institute,
                          [6]Mindaugas Macijauskas

   Explanation: [7]Still bright in planet Earth's night skies, good
   telescopic views of Saturn and its beautiful rings often make it a star
   at [8]star parties. But this stunning view of Saturn's rings and night
   side just isn't possible from telescopes closer to the Sun than the
   outer planet. They can only bring [9]Saturn's day into view. In fact,
   this image of Saturn's slender sunlit crescent with night's shadow cast
   across its broad and complex ring system [10]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 [11]recorded by Cassini's
   wide-angle camera only two days before its [12]grand final plunge.
   Saturn's night will not be seen again until [13]another spaceship from
   Earth calls.

                 Tomorrow's picture: salsa verde de la noche
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply.
              [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2109/LastRingPortrait_Cassini_4472.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
   5. http://www.spacescience.org/index.php
   6. https://plus.google.com/+MindaugasMacijauskas
   7. https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/solitary-fomalhaut-guards-the-southern-sky/
   8. https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/clubs-and-events.cfm
   9. https://spacetelescope.org/news/heic1917/
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170926.html
  11. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA17218
  12. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/the-journey/the-grand-finale/
  13. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-dragonfly-will-fly-around-titan-looking-for-origins-signs-of-life
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210910.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210911
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210912.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/