Stunning Saturn/Dione Photo

October 21, 2005 8:40 PM

Stunningly beautiful photo of Dione and Saturn with rings.Such a sensation of depth and grandeur. Thanks, Cassini/JPL/NASA. [animation] [planetary photojournal entry] [B/W mirror from kokogiak] [now you play fun Flash spaceship game].
posted by brownpau (18 comments total)

There's all sorts of things I want to say. Most of them involve profanity.


I'll just settle for "wow."
posted by eriko at 8:41 PM on October 21, 2005

If there's one reason I'd like to live for another few hundred years, it's to see Saturn and Jupiter with my own eyes. I watched the BBC documentary The Planets, and the sequences where they simulated a fly-by of Jupiter with all of its storms roiling nearly brought tears to my eyes.
posted by Mercaptan at 9:11 PM on October 21, 2005

I love the perspective and depth on this next one as well.
posted by kokogiak at 9:13 PM on October 21, 2005

I was personally intrigued by the giant loofah moon.
posted by fungible at 9:19 PM on October 21, 2005

"Sometimes every once in while, it's so beautiful that I would say: I wouldn't have it any other way."

Thanks for reminding me, at the ass end of a long week, that for all our stupid petty squabbling and rampant abuse of ourselves, each other, and our planet - we humans get up to some pretty fucking amazing stuff. It's worth some serious hassle and mess to build a civilization that can achieve things like this.

Thanks - great post.
posted by freebird at 9:36 PM on October 21, 2005

Beautiful. Thanks.

In other news: Europe's Venus mission delayed. Darn.
posted by homunculus at 10:47 PM on October 21, 2005

The shadows cast on Saturn by its own rings are utterly unbelievable.
posted by deafmute at 11:48 PM on October 21, 2005

Breathtaking. Thanks, brownpau!
posted by Frisbee Girl at 2:27 AM on October 22, 2005

The beauty and majesty of lifeless planets trumps our humble soul.
posted by uni verse at 8:37 AM on October 22, 2005

Magnificent. Staggeringly magnificent. It certainly gives you a sense of the crispness of vision in a vacuum--Dione looks like its photo was superimposed in front of Saturn's, but it's just that clear out there.
posted by Songdog at 9:46 AM on October 22, 2005

I use this widget, which updates when they post a new image to nasa's site. I just noticed this widget may do it as well. This pic has been my wallpaper for several days now, 'cause it's neat.
posted by blendor at 10:27 AM on October 22, 2005

space porn.
posted by 3.2.3 at 11:10 AM on October 22, 2005

It's fake. They shot it in Burbank.

Really neat stuff.
posted by brundlefly at 1:26 PM on October 22, 2005

Most excellent. Thanks.
posted by Smedleyman at 11:55 PM on October 22, 2005

fungible clearly means the giant falafel moon, but that's neither here nor there.

Fantastic photos.
posted by gramschmidt at 11:08 AM on October 23, 2005

Fabulous!
posted by OmieWise at 6:24 AM on October 24, 2005

Thanks for the link, blendor. I'm now enjoying that widget on my desktop -- it looks great beneath the doppler!
posted by ducksauce at 7:49 AM on October 24, 2005

Absolutely amazing.
posted by Todd Lokken at 8:04 AM on October 24, 2005