夜晚的土星
(原标题: Saturn at Night)
2024-11-02
浏览次数: 17
土星在地球的夜空中是明亮的。用望远镜观察这颗气态巨行星及其美丽的光环，常常使它成为恒星聚会上的一颗恒星。但这张土星环和夜侧的惊人景象是不可能在地球附近的望远镜上看到的。从太阳系内部向外看，它们只能看到土星白天的一面。事实上，这张由卡西尼号宇宙飞船拍摄到的土星细长的阳光下的新月，夜晚的阴影投射在它宽阔而复杂的环系统上。卡西尼号是一艘来自地球的机器人航天器，在2017年9月15日被指示潜入这颗气体巨星的大气层之前，它在土星轨道上运行了13年。这幅壮观的马赛克是卡西尼号的广角相机在它最后一次俯冲前两天拍摄的画面。直到另一艘来自地球的宇宙飞船打来电话，土星的夜晚才会再次出现。
查看原文解释
Saturn is bright in Earth's night skies. Telescopic views of the outer gas giant planet and its beautiful rings often make it a star at star parties. But this stunning view of Saturn's rings and night side just isn't possible from telescopes in the vicinity of planet Earth. Peering out from the inner Solar System they can only bring Saturn's day side into view. In fact, this image of Saturn's slender sunlit crescent with night's shadow cast across its broad and complex ring system was captured by the Cassini spacecraft. A robot spacecraft from planet Earth, Cassini called Saturn orbit home for 13 years before it was directed to dive into the atmosphere of the gas giant on September 15, 2017. This magnificent mosaic is composed of frames recorded by Cassini's wide-angle camera only two days before its grand final plunge. Saturn's night will not be seen again until another spaceship from Earth calls.