# photo of the day | Photographs of Saturn's rings made from the closest possible distance

It's sad, but the life of the Cassini spacecraft is coming to an end. Launched in 1997, it became part of the Cassini-Huygens space program, aimed at researching Saturn, its rings, and satellites. The last phase of the life of the apparatus, called "The Final of the Opera," will begin on April 22 this year. "Cassini" will make 22 flights between Saturn and its inner ring, and on September 15, forever immersed in the atmosphere of the planet, collecting and transferring to the Earth priceless data until the last seconds of his life. We suggest you to enjoy the magnificent images of the rings of Saturn, made by "Cassini" the other day.

According to NASA specialists, the images presented are photographs of Saturn's rings made from the closest distance in the history of the planet's exploration by mankind. Previously, "Cassini" repeatedly photographed the ring, but so close to them he could not get close. The images immediately show their highest detail. Excellent are the so-called "propellers", special marks on the rings created by mini-satellites of the giant planet. The fact is that the rings of Saturn consist of fragments whose range of sizes varies from a centimeter to a small house. In the rings, there are also satellites, for example the 30-kilometer Pan or the 7-kilometer Daphnia. It is these satellites that create the peculiar discontinuities that are visible in the pictures. In total, there are 62 such satellites.

The article is based on materials https://hi-news.ru/eto-interesno/foto-dnya-snimki-kolec-saturna-sdelannye-s-maksimalno-blizkogo-rasstoyaniya.html.