Cassini's Latest Pictures Of Saturn Are More Art Than Science

Saturn is big, and we mean REALLY big...
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

NASA's Cassini spacecraft might be collecting images for science but there's no denying that they also happen to be absolutely stunning.

This latest image of Saturn is another incredible example, showing the gas giant in all its glory with the tiny spec of its moon Dione glinting in the bottom left-hand corner.

Saturn is massive, and we really do mean huge. It's about ten times the size of Earth and the second-largest planet in the solar system with Jupiter taking the top prize.

If that doesn't put across how big the planet is then how about the news that the photo was taken at a distance of 1.2 million miles.

Despite its enormous size Saturn's rings are incredibly thin - under a kilometre deep.

Within those rings though are a myriad of different particles made up of ice and dust. These particles can range in size from a speck of sand up to huge rocks just under a mile wide.

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