Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21

Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21

A rare great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will take place at 18:11 UTC on December 21, with the two planets passing just 6.1 arcminutes (about one-fifth the apparent width of the moon) of each other, as seen from Earth. Coincidentally, the December solstice is…

NASA unveils first global geologic map of Titan

NASA unveils first global geologic map of Titan

NASA has revealed the first global geologic map of Titan, the largest moon orbiting Saturn. The map showed a dynamic world of dunes, lakes, plains, craters, and other types of terrain. Aside from Earth, Titan is the only other known planetary body in the solar…

New type of storm discovered on Saturn’s surface

New type of storm discovered on Saturn’s surface

A new type of storm was discovered on Saturn's surface. The researchers analyzed hundreds of snapshots taken by amateur astronomers and developed simulations to understand the strange weather events. Telescope imagery revealed long patches of bright clouds near…

Saturn’s radiation belts: A stranger to the solar wind

Saturn’s radiation belts: A stranger to the solar wind

The high energy proton population in the environment of Saturn develops independently of the solar wind – and thus in a considerably different way from the one on Earth. The radiation belts of Earth and Saturn differ more strongly than previously assumed. In these…

Saturn’s ‘weird’ magnetic field perplexes scientists

Saturn’s ‘weird’ magnetic field perplexes scientists

The Cassini probe's first results from inside Saturn's rings make scientists question the conventional wisdom on how planets form magnetic fields. As NASA's Cassini spacecraft makes its unprecedented series of weekly dives between Saturn and its rings,…

Cassini’s new mission shows Saturn in a different light

Cassini’s new mission shows Saturn in a different light

The Cassini spacecraft has sent the first images of Saturn's atmosphere since the start of its new mission phase. The images reveal the planet's northern hemisphere as well as its unique hexagon jet stream. The newest phase of the NASA's Cassini…

Saturn’s moon Enceladus exhibits signs of hydrothermal activity

Saturn’s moon Enceladus exhibits signs of hydrothermal activity

Data obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft provided first clear evidence that Saturn's moon Enceladus exhibits signs of present-day hydrothermal activity which may resemble that seen in the deep oceans on Earth. The implications of such activity on a world

Mysterious ‘Magic Island’ appears on Saturn moon

Mysterious ‘Magic Island’ appears on Saturn moon

Astronomers have discovered a bright, mysterious geologic object – where one never existed – on Cassini mission radar images of Ligeia Mare, the second-largest sea on Saturn's moon Titan. Scientifically speaking, this spot is considered a "transient