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APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:05 am
by APOD Robot
Saturn in Infrared from Cassini
Explanation: Many details of Saturn appear clearly in infrared light. Bands of clouds show great structure, including long
stretching storms. Also quite striking in
infrared is the unusual
hexagonal cloud pattern surrounding
Saturn's North Pole. Each side of the dark
hexagon spans roughly the width of our Earth.
The hexagon's existence was not predicted, and its origin and likely stability remains a
topic of research. Saturn's famous
rings circle the planet and
cast shadows below the
equator. The featured image was taken by the robotic
Cassini spacecraft in 2014 in several infrared colors. In 2017 September, the
Cassini mission was brought to a dramatic conclusion when the spacecraft was
directed to dive into ringed giant.
Re: APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:40 am
by VictorBorun
I tried and failed to google the colour coding
Re: APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 12:45 pm
by orin stepanek
I got to playing with the Cassini probe! Hoping I could transfer it to my post!
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/c ... pacecraft/
- dog-with-glasses.jpg (13.31 KiB) Viewed 2997 times
Doggie busy researching!
Re: APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:26 pm
by De58te
VictorBorun wrote: ↑Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:40 am
I tried and failed to google the colour coding
There's a description in the infrared link in the APOD explanation. But even that is confusing because they show two examples of the dog in infrared. The first one we are mostly familiar with from Flir cameras. The hottest light is the bright yellow of the dog's eyes and tongue. The coldest is dark purple. However in the second one the hottest is red, while yellow seems to be cooler. The second one also has a bright blue color which is absent in the first. Apparently blue is a colder region than red or yellow, but it is still warmer than dark purple.
Re: APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:36 pm
by Chris Peterson
De58te wrote: ↑Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:26 pm
VictorBorun wrote: ↑Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:40 am
I tried and failed to google the colour coding :(
There's a description in the infrared link in the APOD explanation. But even that is confusing because they show two examples of the dog in infrared. The first one we are mostly familiar with from Flir cameras. The hottest light is the bright yellow of the dog's eyes and tongue. The coldest is dark purple. However in the second one the hottest is red, while yellow seems to be cooler. The second one also has a bright blue color which is absent in the first. Apparently blue is a colder region than red or yellow, but it is still warmer than dark purple.
The furthest into the IR that the Cassini camera could see was 1 um. That's not thermal IR, just deep red, really. We're seeing reflected IR, not emitted IR.
Re: APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 10:40 pm
by heehaw
If it were not for the fabulous rings, Saturn would be just another Uranus or Neptune. But those rings ARE fabulous!
Re: APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 10:42 pm
by Zuben L. Genubi
Logical explanation for the hexagonal formation at Saturn's north pole--it's a giant snowflake.
Re: APOD: Saturn in Infrared from Cassini (2022 Jul 24)
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:31 am
by XgeoX
Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:36 pm
De58te wrote: ↑Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:26 pm
VictorBorun wrote: ↑Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:40 am
I tried and failed to google the colour coding
There's a description in the infrared link in the APOD explanation. But even that is confusing because they show two examples of the dog in infrared. The first one we are mostly familiar with from Flir cameras. The hottest light is the bright yellow of the dog's eyes and tongue. The coldest is dark purple. However in the second one the hottest is red, while yellow seems to be cooler. The second one also has a bright blue color which is absent in the first. Apparently blue is a colder region than red or yellow, but it is still warmer than dark purple.
The furthest into the IR that the Cassini camera could see was 1 um. That's not thermal IR, just deep red, really. We're seeing reflected IR, not emitted IR.
Thanks, I always though it could see into the thermal. Stunning image nonetheless.
Eric