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Family Portrait
Featured on April 7, 2015
The Cassini spacecraft saw this glorious view of Saturn and its family of rings in 2013. The spacecraft was viewing Saturn's nightside, with the Sun eclipsed by Saturn itself. This view spans roughly 400,000 miles (650,000 km). The 'classic' rings, which were first seen in the 1600s, shine in shades of gold and brown, while the outer 'E' ring, which contains primarily water ice, looks blue. Prominent gaps are visible throughout the ring system. Earth is visible in the image as well, as a small blue dot at the edge of the E ring to the lower left of Saturn. [NASA/JPL/SSI]
