30
votes
Help understanding this unsettling image of Titan, Epimetheus, and Saturn's rings?
This NASA page says this photo was taken on April 28 2006.
Using Celestia, I managed to find the picture from Cassini that best lines up with the photo. It doesn't match up precisely, but that's to ...
- 4,185
12
votes
Accepted
Help understanding this unsettling image of Titan, Epimetheus, and Saturn's rings?
The JPL Solar System Simulator doesn't show Epimetheus but does show Titan behind the Encke gap at 2006-04-28 08:12 UTC.
The simulated surface texture is probably composed of
VIMS images
in infrared ...
- 18.8k
10
votes
How to measure mass of planets' core from orbit
I certainly don't know the details of these kinds of calculations, but as my thought is a bit too long for a comment I'll write it up as an answer.
If you measure the flattening of a planet due to ...
- 1,105
7
votes
Accepted
Did Cassini return a photo of Saturn's rings shown from closer to Saturn?
Yes, on one of the final orbits it took some pictures of the rings while crossing the ring plane:
More details of that image are here, and this page show some still images.
Here’s another one:
...
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6
votes
Help understanding this unsettling image of Titan, Epimetheus, and Saturn's rings?
note: This is a supplemental answer adding some details to @ Ingolifs' excellent answer.
At roughly 2006-Apr-28 08:30 UTC Cassini was both 1,800,000 km from Titan ...
- 30.7k
4
votes
Accepted
What does "Active Weather Patterns" mean?
It means that Titan has weather (driven by methane rather than water) and that it's weather changes with the seasons. Cassini has been observing Titan for almost half of a Titan year, which is 29.457 ...
- 36.3k
4
votes
How can we map masses orbiting the outer Solar System by determining the orbits of planets and smaller objects?
Iorio (Preliminary constraints on the location of Telisto/Planet Nine from planetary orbital dynamics) has suggested transmissions from the New Horizons probe (currently beyond Pluto) could be used to ...
- 2,497
3
votes
Accepted
Estimate the mass of Saturn based on the given data below
Before I attempt the problem, here is a list of assumptions I'm making:
This $1.3 \cdot 10^6$ km value is the distance from Saturn's center.
The probe died at the center of Saturn ($r=0$), which is a ...
- 6,733
2
votes
Accepted
How old are Janus and Epimetheus?
You are correct that the main way to determine planetary surface ages is through crater dating. This comes in two versions, relative and absolute dating. Both require counting the number of craters ...
- 8,792
1
vote
Exactly what in Saturn has been located to within 4 km precision?
I suppose it is the Saturn system's barycenter which has been located gravitationally. At this level of precision I suppose that the moons', especially Titan's tidal effects must be considered. ..., ...
- 2,716
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