On July 19, 2013, the cameras on NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured this rare look at Earth and its moon from Saturn’s orbit. This is the second time that Cassini has imaged Earth from within Saturn’s shadow, and only the third time ever that our planet has been imaged from the outer solar system.
Earth is the blue point of light on the left. I inserted the pale blue arrow and the word “Earth”.
The moon is fainter, white, and on the right. Both are seen here through the faint, diffuse E ring of Saturn.
It took Cassini seven years to reach Saturn — the 6th planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our solar system, after Jupiter. A gas planet, Saturn’s average radius is about 9 times that of Earth.
Here’s a stunning image of Saturn and its rings (click to enlarge!):
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, 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, D.C. 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, Colo.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.
Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
How good to celebrate our God in song;
how sweet to give fitting praise.
The Lord . . . heals the brokenhearted,
binds up their wounds,
Numbers all the stars,
calls each of them by name.
This video is 1½ hours long, but is well worth it.
I recommend you watch it in Full Screen mode!
National Geographic presents the first accurate non-stop voyage from Earth to the edge of the Universe using a single, unbroken shot through the use of spectacular CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) technology. Building on images taken from the Hubble telescope, Journey to the Edge of the Universe explores the science and history behind the distant celestial bodies in the solar system.
This spectacular, epic voyage across the cosmos, takes us from the Earth, past the Moon and our neighboring planets, out of our Solar System, to the nearest stars, nebulae and galaxies and beyond – right to the edge of the Universe itself.
Using one single, unbroken shot, Journey to the Edge of the Universe explores what we would find if we were able to travel the entire length of our universe. Venturing past Neil Armstrong’s footsteps still sealed on the moon, you’ll soar over brightly illuminated Venus onto Mercury, a small planet made almost entirely of iron that may perhaps be the left-over remnant of a much larger planet. Mars is a planet of extremes: with tornadoes, volcanoes and canyons unlike anything seen on Earth. Jupiter‘s ever-present red storm is three times the size of Earth and has lasted for hundreds of years. Reaching the Saturn moon Titan, we find a landscape closely resembling Earth, but Titan’s rivers, lakes and oceans are not made of water, but of liquid methane. Could life exist here?
Traveling more than 60 trillion miles from Earth, we next step inside the Epsilon Eridani star system where spectacular rings of dust and ice resemble the formation of our own solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Even further out is star Gliese 581, about the same age as our sun with a planet that is just the right distance to possibly support life. Passing by the Pillars of Creation, viewers can see deep inside these clouds where huge stars are being born, bringing light and perhaps even life to the universe.
Posted in God's creation, NASA, Science & technology
Tagged Epsilon Eridani star system, Gliese 581, Hubble telescope, Mars, mercury, Moon, National Geographic, Pillars of Creation, Psalm 147, Saturn, Titan, Venus
Michelle Mathis Wants $500 Billion For Towed Car In Ohio
Here’s the plan: We go to court for our towed car and we demand… $500 BILLION!
Michelle Mathis is no Dr. Evil, but she is hell-bent on compensation for her car, which was towed in Ohio while she 