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Image of the Day…Sky View of Earth…

May 21, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

composite image of southern Africa and the surrounding oceans from Suomi NPP

This composite image of southern Africa and the surrounding oceans was captured by six orbits of the NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership spacecraft on April 9, 2015, by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument. Tropical Cyclone Joalane can be seen over the Indian Ocean.

Winds, tides and density differences constantly stir the oceans while phytoplankton continually grow and die. Orbiting radiometers such as VIIRS allows scientists to track this variability over time and contribute to better understanding of ocean processes that are beneficial to human survival on Earth. The image was created by the Ocean Biology Processing Group at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

For more information, please visit: http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ and http://www.nasa.gov/npp

Image Credit: Ocean Biology Processing Group at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Source…..www.nasa.gov

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” Spider Rain in Australia…” !!!

May 19, 2015May 19, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Millions of tiny spiders recently fell from the sky in Australia, alarming residents whose properties were suddenly covered with not only the creepy critters, but also mounds of their silky threads. But that’s not where the frightful news ends: Experts say such arachnid rains aren’t as uncommon as you might think.

This month’s spider downpour in the country’s Southern Tablelands region is just the most recent example of a phenomenon commonly known as “spider rain” or, in some circles, “angel hair,” because of the silky, hairlike threads the spiders leave behind. Ian Watson, who lives in the region affected by the spooky shower, took to Facebook to describe what this strange “weather” looks like, according to the Goulburn Post.

“Anyone else experiencing this “Angel Hair” or maybe aka millions of spiders falling from the sky right now? I’m 10 minutes out of town, and you can clearly see hundreds of little spiders floating along with their webs and my home is covered in them. Someone call a scientist!” Watson wrote on the Goulburn Community Forum Facebook page. [Fishy Rain to Fire Whirlwinds: The World’s Weirdest Weather]

So, here at Live Science, call a scientist (or two) is exactly what we did. Rick Vetter, a retired arachnologist at the University of California at Riverside, said Watson and his neighbors most likely saw a form of spider transportation known as ballooning.
spiderweb

“Ballooning is a not-uncommon behavior of many spiders,” Vetter told Live Science. “They climb some high area and stick their butts up in the air and release silk. Then they just take off. This is going on all around us all the time. We just don’t notice it.”

People don’t usually notice this ingenious spider behavior because it is not common for millions of spiders to do this at the same time, and then land in the same place, said Todd Blackledge, a biology professor at the University of Akron in Ohio.

“In these kinds of events [spider rains], what’s thought to be going on is that there’s a whole cohort of spiders that’s ready to do this ballooning dispersal behavior, but for whatever reason, the weather conditions haven’t been optimal and allowed them to do that. But then the weather changes, and they have the proper conditions to balloon, and they all start to do it,” Blackledge told Live Science.

spiderweb

This is most likely what happened in New South Wales, where certain species of small spiders — as well as the tiny hatchlings of larger spider species — are known to balloon around the Outback during late autumn (May) and early spring (August).

But, as Blackledge explained, an abrupt change in the weather or wind pattern may have carried these migrating spiders up and away and then back down to earth en masse — not the orderly dispersal that they (or the residents of the Southern Tablelands region) were expecting.

For the startled citizens of Goulburn and surrounding areas, however, the tiny spiders raining down from the sky probably pose no threat to humans, both Blackledge and Vetter said.

“There’s a tiny, tiny number of species that have venom that’s actually dangerous to people. And even then, if these are juvenile spiders, they’re going to be too small to even bite, in all likelihood,” Blackledge said.

spiderweb

But such a huge group of spiders could damage crops, which might become so enshrouded in silk that they don’t get enough sunlight, Vetter said.

Watson (the Goulburn resident who recommended that someone call a scientist) noted that tiny spiders had a way of becoming entangled in human facial hair.

“You couldn’t go out without getting spider webs on you. And I’ve got a beard as well, so they kept getting in my beard,” Watson told Yahoo News.

Source…..ELIZABETH PALERMO, LIVESCIENCE in www.businessinsider.com

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” Mystery of India’s Rapid Drift….”

May 19, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The mystery of India’s rapid drift

India got a geologic boost that accelerated its drift toward Eurasia 80 million years ago, researchers suggest. The speed of the resulting impact created the Himalayas.

A study in the journal Nature Geoscience on May 4, 2015 by team of MIT geologists offers an explanation for why the continent of India moved so rapidly toward Eurasia 80 million years ago.

More than 140 million years ago, India was part of an immense supercontinent called Gondwana, which covered much of the Southern Hemisphere. Around 120 million years ago, what is now India broke off and started slowly migrating north, at about five centimeters per year. Then, about 80 million years ago, the continent suddenly sped up, racing north at about 15 centimeters per year — about twice as fast as the fastest modern tectonic drift. The continent collided with Eurasia about 50 million years ago, giving rise to the Himalayas.

For years, scientists have struggled to explain how India could have drifted northward so quickly. Now geologists at MIT have offered up an answer: India was pulled northward by the combination of two subduction zones — regions in the Earth’s mantle where the edge of one tectonic plate sinks under another plate. As one plate sinks, it pulls along any connected landmasses. The geologists reasoned that two such sinking plates would provide twice the pulling power, doubling India’s drift velocity.

The team found relics of what may have been two subduction zones by sampling and dating rocks from the Himalayan region. They then developed a model for a double subduction system, and determined that India’s ancient drift velocity could have depended on two factors within the system: the width of the subducting plates, and the distance between them. If the plates are relatively narrow and far apart, they would likely cause India to drift at a faster rate.

The group incorporated the measurements they obtained from the Himalayas into their new model, and found that a double subduction system may indeed have driven India to drift at high speed toward Eurasia some 80 million years ago.

Based on the geologic record, India’s migration appears to have started about 120 million years ago, when Gondwana began to break apart. India was sent adrift across what was then the Tethys Ocean — an immense body of water that separated Gondwana from Eurasia. India drifted along at an unremarkable 40 millimeters per year until about 80 million years ago, when it suddenly sped up to 150 millimeters per year. India kept up this velocity for another 30 million years before hitting the brakes — just when the continent collided with Eurasia.

Leigh Royden is a professor of geology and geophysics in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. Royden said:

When you look at simulations of Gondwana breaking up, the plates kind of start to move, and then India comes slowly off of Antarctica, and suddenly it just zooms across — it’s very dramatic.

In 2011, scientists believed they had identified the driving force behind India’s fast drift: a plume of magma that welled up from the Earth’s mantle. According to their hypothesis, the plume created a volcanic jet of material underneath India, which the subcontinent could effectively “surf” at high speed.

However, when others modeled this scenario, they found that any volcanic activity would have lasted, at most, for five million years — not nearly enough time to account for India’s 30 million years of high-velocity drift.

Instead, the MIT researchers believe that India’s fast drift may be explained by the subduction of two plates: the tectonic plate carrying India and a second plate in the middle of the Tethys Ocean.

Celal Sengor is a professor of geological engineering at Istanbul Technical University who was not involved in this research. Sengor said:

India was going far too fast after it parted company with Africa-Madagascar and Australia. … Its speed northward, with respect to the rest of Eurasia, was faster than any plate motion we know today, or have inferred in the past across a single plate boundary. This paper not only has changed some of our ideas on the paleotectonics and paleogeography of the neo-Tethys, but has given us a new model about what double subductions can do.

Bottom line: According to a study published May 4, 2015 in the journal Nature Geoscience, India got a geologic boost that accelerated its drift toward Eurasia 80 million years ago.

Source…..www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

23 Reasons Why One should Visit Australia at least once in his lifetime…!!!

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015Natarajan2 Comments

1. Belgian Johan Lolos has been traveling around Australia for a year. If his pictures don’t make you want to jump on a plane RIGHT NOW you must be CRAZY!

“This is The Pinnacles in Western Australia. The sunset was breathtaking. I was a full moon night. This day I discovered that on the night of the full moon it rises at exactly the same time as the sun sets. The sunset and moon rising: so exciting!”

2. When Lolos arrived in Australia, he had 500 followers on Instagram. He leaves next week with more than 26,000, following him for fabulous images like this.

I first visited Uluru in August 2013, but it was raining. So I decided to go back earlier this year for a proper look at the most famous sunrise, sunset and stars in Australia. This is one of the many shots I took.”

3. Night-time at Uluru, Northern Territory.

“Before I visited Australia, I had never heard of Uluru! Then I saw a photo of the rock and the stars and decided to try for a shot of Uluru and the full arc of the Milky Way. This image is made up of 25 different shots, a 180 degree panorama with 14mm lens, 2.8 aperture taking 30 seconds: then post-production work in Lightroom and Photoshop, hours of work. I’m very pleased with the end result.”

4. Secret spot, Blue Mountains, NSW

“On the way to Cahill’s Lookout, I met a girl living in Katoomba who knew a secret spot. It was stunning. The Blue Mountains is perfect for meditation: great nature, amazing lookouts and rolling valleys.”

5. Devils Marbles, NT.

Heading up to Darwin after my first visit to Uluru, the sun came out after a rainy week, and it was stunning. I went for a different perspective, waiting for the sun to drop below the clouds: capturing a beautiful sunset.”

6. Darwin, Northern Territory.

“I lived in Darwin for three months and it was heavenly. I arrived at the end of the rainy season in early April, and it was still so hot I had to to hit the pool every day just to cool down. Darwin was incredible, every day served up the most beautiful, breathtaking sunsets.”

7. Bay of Fires, Tasmania.

“I arrived in Tassie with a friend on Christmas Day 2013, and we hitchhiked around for three weeks. This was the first time I saw white sand. We camped on this beach. Tasmania is probably my favourite state, it’s so pure, clean and genuine.”

Whitehaven Beach, Queensland.

“Believe the hype, this is the most beautiful beach in the world. I shot this image from Hill Inlet lookout, it’s a panorama made up of 35 images. I was on a Queensland road-trip with three German friends. Because I was working for voyagerloin.com webzine I got some amazing free tours, including this three day three-day cruise on Solway Lass around the Whitsundays. Whitehaven is simply the best beach I have ever seen, the sand is so fine. There’s really no way to describe this beach – you have to experience it for yourself.”

9. Whitehaven Beach, same lookout.

“This is zoomed in on the sand spit were we stopped for a swim. The water is a perfect colour: just crazy!?

10. Heart Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

“This was shot from a seaplane. I’d been lucky enough to take a trip over the GBR off Cairns by helicopter, and it is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life. This was the same feeling . We landed on the sea and got out of the plane and snorkeled in pristine waters, no human had swum in before. Truly unforgettable.”

11. Gunlom Falls, Kakadu National Park, NT.

This is like a natural infinity pool, with big falls on the other side going. I went with Elisa Detrez, Best Job In The World winner.”

12. Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

“Out of this world. I went on a two day tour, stayed in a lodge and saw LOADS of wildlife. KI has amazing sea lions, pelicans, dolphins, kangaroos and wallabies. This image shows the Milky Way in a single shot with a 30 second exposure and also two other galaxies.”

13. Katherine Gorge, Northern Territory.

“One of the NT’s natural wonders, with eight interlinked gorges. This was the night of a blood moon. We got a stunning sunset. It was the end of the wet season, so we still couldn’t swim because of crocodiles.”

14. Karijini National Park, Western Australia.

“People I met said said you have to go to two national parks above all others: Karijini and Kakadu. I spent three days here walking and doing tracks, just after rains, sometimes I rhad to walk with water right to my shoulder. Freshwaters pool, heaps of natural pools, gorges everywhere.”

15. Margaret River, Western Australia.

“We were just driving looking for a free campsite, then saw this huge mob of kangaroos. During the golden hour just before dusk you see them popping up everywhere. The great thing about road-tripping it that you can just pull off the highway and take pictures.”

16. Kakadu, Northern Territory.

“I shot this panorama in the Kakadu on the way back to Darwin, driving at night. Saw this amazing sky and basically said “I have to shot that!” The Red light is light from our 4WD’s headlamps, it really was in the middle of nowhere.

17. Loch Ard Gorge, Great Ocean Road, Victoria.

“This was early in my stay and the first image that Tourism Australia posted on social media. The Great Ocean Road reminded me of Normandy in France. This was taken on a short road-trip from Melbourne when four girls and I rented a car.”

18. Nudey Beach, Fitzroy Island, FNQ.

“One of the most photographed beaches in Queensland, a day trip from Cairns. I stayed a few nights, the lodge was amazing. The islands of Far North Queensland are the perfect place to relax, just chilling on the beach. Swimming and snorkeling in stunningly warm waters.”

19. Rainbow Beach, Queensland.

“This is the Great Sandy National Park. You have these massive sand dunes, perfect for viewing sunrises and sunsets. These two guys made a great silhouette.”

20. Sydney Harbour, New South Wales.

“This is in the calm before sunrise, with no boats in the harbour. I like shooting at sunrise better, there is more blue and pink in the sky. Sydney is one of my favourite cities in the world.”

21. Shell Beach, Shark Bay, Western Australia

“This entire beach is made up of tiny shells, billions of them! The guys in the shot are my travel buddies, a German guy and a British guys, looking at a jellyfish.”

22. Wallaman Falls, Queenland.

“This is the tallest single drop waterfall in Australia, at 268m. It’s quite a trek in and when you get there you just sit and meditate, and think “Wow. How small am ?” The track is really steep so you need to be fit.”

23. Uluru, Northern Territory.

“I read in the Lonely Planet guide that even the most experienced travelers are amazed when they first Uluru. When I saw it on the horizon I couldn’t believe how massive it was. It was wet, but I realised I was really lucky as only one percent of visitors see it under rain. But I had to go back to see the rock with blue skies.”

Source….www.buzzfeed.com and Johan Lolos / Facebook: lebackpacker / Instagram: @lebackpacker

Natarajan

Dramatic Space Photos….

May 18, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

May 18, 2013. On this date astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured three beautiful views of Pavlof Volcano, part of the Aleutian Arc, with a handheld Nikon D3S digital camera. As the volcano poured out lava and shot ash 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) into the air, the astronauts managed to capture these seldom-seen oblique views of the volcano, which are very different from the top-down views of most unmanned satellites.

Pavlof Volcano May 18, 2013 via ISS. The space station was about 475 miles south-southeast of the volcano when astronauts aboard captured this beautiful, oblique view. Photo provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. Image taken by the Expedition 36 crew.

Pavlof Volcano May 18, 2013 via ISS. This volcano is located about 625 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage. In May 2013, its volcanic plume extended southeastward over the North Pacific Ocean. Photo provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. Image taken by the Expedition 36 crew.

Via NASA Earth Observatory

Source…..www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

Image of the Day….” Record-Setting Space walk on May 13 1992…”

May 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

On May 13, 1992, following the successful capture of the Intelsat VI satellite, three astronauts continue moving the 4.5 ton communications satellite into the space shuttle Endeavour’s cargo bay. A fellow crew member recorded this 70mm still frame from inside Endeavour’s cabin. Left to right, astronauts Richard J. Hieb, Thomas D. Akers and Pierre J. Thuot, cooperate on the effort to attach a specially designed grapple bar underneath the satellite. Thuot stands on the end of the Remote Manipulator System’s (RMS) arm while Hieb and Akers are on Portable Foot Restraints (PFR) affixed to Endeavour’s portside and the Multipurpose Support Structure (MPESS), respectively. The sections of Earth which form the backdrop for the scene are blanketed with thousands of square miles of clouds.

The Intelsat satellite, stranded in an unusable orbit since its launch aboard a Titan vehicle in March 1990, was equipped with a new perigee kick motor. The satellite was subsequently released into orbit and the new motor fired to put the spacecraft into a geosynchronous orbit for operational use. The capture required three spacewalks: a planned one by astronaut Pierre J. Thuot and Richard J. Hieb who were unable to attach a capture bar to the satellite from a position on the RMS; a second unscheduled but identical attempt the following day; and finally an unscheduled but successful hand capture by Pierre J. Thuot and fellow crewmen Richard J. Hieb and Thomas D. Akers as Commander Daniel C. Brandenstein delicately maneuvered the orbiter to within a few feet of the 4.5 ton communications satellite.

The STS-49 mission, the first flight of shuttle Endeavour, set records for the first (and only, to date) spacewalk involving three astronauts; first shuttle mission to feature four spacewalks; first shuttle mission requiring three rendezvous with an orbiting spacecraft; first attachment of a live rocket motor to an orbiting satellite and first use of a drag chute during a shuttle landing.

Image Credit: NASA

Source…….www.nasa.gov

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Image of the Day…Milky Way …

May 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Milky Way against a bright moon

Even in bright moonlight, astrophotographer Justin Ng captures amazing shots of the Milky Way. Here’s one from May 6, during the peak of a meteor shower.

Justin Ng wrote to EarthSky, with this photo attached. He captured it on May 6, 2015 at 5:30 a.m. local time in East Java, Indonesia. He wrote:

Just led my first full moon astrophotography expedition to Mount Bromo, one of the active volcanoes in Indonesia. It would have been easier to unveil the Milky Way against the bright moon on our first night there, but the sky was cloudy and we could only do this on our last night, which was more challenging as the bright moon was located nearer to the Milky Way’s galactic center.

The moon and Saturn made a close approach on May 6, passing just within 2° of each other, at around 35° above horizon at 5.30am (GMT +7). It was a cold night, and alsowhen the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaked. The large and bright waning gibbous moon, with its illumination at 97%, managed to obscure both the Eta Aquarid meteor shower and the spectacular Milky Way. Although I was able to see a few faint Eta Aquarid meteors on that night, I was unable to see the Milky Way with my unaided eye because the bright moon was so close!

Nonetheless, using the method that I have shared in this tutorial, I managed to unveil the Milky Way that’s obscured by the moon.

So it’s still possible to unveil the Milky Way against a large and bright moon! Give it a try.

Justin pointed out that the circular feature in the photo – on the lower left side – was not a real object in the sky over Mount Bromo. It’s an internal reflection from his camera, known as a lens flare, often seen (although usually not so beautifully!) in photos of bright objects like the sun and moon.

Thank you, Justin!

Bottom line: Milky Way in bright moonlight, by Justin Ng of Singapore.

Source…..www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

Image of the Day…” Sea Fog …” !!!

May 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Sea haar and clouds meet

Here’s a sea fog, called a haar in Scotland. They occur on the east coast of England or Scotland in spring and summer, when warm air passes over the North Sea.

Will Keogh wrote:

Sea haar and clouds meet in perfect harmony. Pic taken from Lyle Hill, Greenock towards Gourock in Scotland. The haar occurs when warm air condenses over the cold river creating a fog.

The ‘haar’ is also known as a ‘sea fret.’ It typically lies at a uniform height above the waterline but it is a moving entity, i.e. by the wind.

However, when the haar collides with, for example, a hillside, the haar is displaced from the horizontal.

Thank you, Will Keogh!

BBC meteorologist Gail Pirie agrees that a fret, haar and sea fog are all the same thing. She says these fogs typically occur between April and September, when warm air passes over the North Sea:

The variation in name simply arises from the locale in which you happen to find yourself when the fog rolls in off the sea. On the east coast of Scotland sea fog is known locally as haar or North Sea Haar, and it is often said to plague local residents during the summer. Likewise, it’s English counterpart – Fret or Sea Fret can make summer days on the East coast of England miserable.

Bottom line: These sorts of sea fogs are called haars on the east coast of Scotland and frets on the east coast of England. They’re usually flat, but this photo by Will Keogh shows a haar that’s been pushed horizontally after colliding with a hillside, so that it rises up toward clouds above.

Source…..www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

Best Airport Landings….

May 13, 2015May 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Queenstown Airport in New Zealand was voted the world’s number one. Source: Getty Images

SOMETIMES flying into a destination can be just as spectacular as when on the ground.

sometimes what a pilot sees in a day, people won’t see in their lifetimes..
amazing Queenstown, New Zealand.
I invite people of the world to come visit this beautiful country and its people.

Every year PrivateFly.com asks travellers around the world to vote for their favourite airport landings before a panel of judges picks the best 10.

Of the 147 airports that received nominations this year, these were voted the Top 10 Most Stunning Airport Approaches for 2015.

1. Queenstown, New Zealand

Flying into Queenstown airport was considered the most spectacular in the world.

A world class approach to a world class destination. The snatched panoramas as you descend into this hitherto barren-looking landscape makes you realise that pilots do get the best views,” said judge Bill Prince.

2. Las Vegas Mccarran Airport, USA

The bright lights of Vegas make it one of the most exciting airports to fly into.

“Arriving at night makes the Las Vegas strip look like some type of miniature recreation. It is always worth a window seat,” said judge Doug Gollan.

3. Nice Cote D’Azur Airport, France

Landing on the water’s edge in Nice. Source: Getty Images

“Nice, Cote d’Azur has to be one of the most spectacular places to arrive and depart with this breathtaking coastline as far as the eye can see,” said judge Tiffany Dowd.

4. Barra Airport, Scotland

Not your usual runway. Source: Getty Images

“Where else in the world can you fly over majestic mountains, stunning coastline and turquoise seas before descending over a historic harbour castle and landing on a large silver sand beach? Totally stunning and totally unique. Nothing comes close,” said judge Carol Cork.

5. St Maarten Princess Juliana International

Just scraping past beach goers. Picture: Ivan Wong Rodenas. Source: Flickr

“I chose the landing strip at St. Maarten for its proximity to the beach, giving a beautiful view for passengers on landing planes, and a prime photo op for beachgoers, as incoming jets fly overhead,” said judge Chloe Pantazi.

6. Saba (Juancho e Irausquin)

Teetering on the edge of this Caribbean island. Picture: Richie Diesterheft. Source: Flickr

“A simply unforgettable and thrilling landing on the world’s shortest runway, flanked by cliffs and ocean with a striking view of its active Volcano, Mount Scenery,” said judge David Scowsill.

7. Billy Bishop Toronto City, Canada

Sitting parallel to the city is Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport. Source: Getty Images

“A dramatically short island runway, surrounded by city and water. Just moments away from the centre of Toronto,” said judge Adam Twidell.

8. Gibraltar

Flying in next to the towering 450 metre “Rock” is no easy feat. Source: Getty Images

“Not for those with faint hears. Landing at ‘The Rock’ requires a lot of skill (and adverse weather conditions redirect flights to Malaga too often), but if you are lucky it is stunning. Also very interesting to see the geographic differences between nearby Spain and this British territory,” said judge Ana Silva O’Reilly.

9. London City Airport, UK

Surrounded by history on one side and modernity on the other. Source: Getty Images

“For its steep approach and its short runway in the heart of the city,” said judge Frédéric Beniada.

10. Cape Town, South Africa

Beautiful Cape Town provides spectacular views on approach. Source: Getty Images

“Spectacular views of Table Mountain as you approach. One of the most beautiful cities on earth,” said judge Adam Twidell.

Source…..www.news.com.au

Natarajan

” Serene Saturn….”

May 12, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

From a distance Saturn seems to exude an aura of serenity and peace.

In spite of this appearance, Saturn is an active and dynamic world. Its atmosphere is a fast-moving and turbulent place with wind speeds in excess of 1,100 miles per hour (1,800 km per hour) in places. The lack of a solid surface to create drag means that there are fewer features to slow down the wind than on a planet like Earth.

Mimas, to the upper-right of Saturn, has been brightened by a factor of 2 for visibility.

In this view, Cassini was at a subspacecraft latitude of 19 degrees North. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 4, 2015 using a spectral filter centered at 752 nanometers, in the near-infrared portion of the spectrum.

The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers) from Saturn. Image scale is 96 miles (150 kilometers) per pixel.

The Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Source….www.nasa.gov

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