Cassini Photos: Probe Snaps A Spectacular Shot Of Earth In Between Saturn's Rings

It was taken from 870m miles away.
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Before NASA’s Cassini probe began its final few orbits of Saturn, it returned a stunning photo of Earth dwarfed by the gas giant’s iconic rings.

The image was taken at a distance of 870m miles from Earth, which can be seen as a white blob among the belts of rock.

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NASA/JPL-CALTECH

It’s even possible, once the image has been magnified and cropped, to spot the moon, which sits to Earth’s left.

Open Image Modal
NASA/JPL-CALTECH

NASA scientists are set upon dumping Cassini in Saturn’s clouds before it runs out of fuel, to preempt a collision with one of the planet’s 53 moons.

It’s thought that Enceladus and Titan might harbour life, and a satellite from Earth poses a major contamination risk.

NASA announced earlier this month that Enceladus is sending plumes of water that contain hydrogen out into space, indicating it could support microbial life.

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