An Overview of Cassini's Accomplishments

Researchers managing the NASA/ESA Cassini mission to Saturn have published two new scientific papers, showing the progress that has been achieved in the nearly 6 years since the orbiter has been observing the gas giant. The amount of data that this particular spacecraft is without equal in terms of quantity and quality, the experts say, and its observations have helped shape our understanding of how Saturn's rings, atmosphere, surface, interior and moons work, Space reports.

The gas giant's rings are without doubt its most interesting feature. They are the most intricate structures in the solar system, and they also appear to be changing as they are being watched. Experts say that, since Cassini arrived at Saturn, in June 2004, our knowledge of the rings has increased exponentially. The features revealed new moons, as well as a large number of dynamic forces that continuously act to determine their shape. Overall, thanks to data from the orbiter, the rings moved from being plain structures to being represented in 3D. This allowed experts to infer even more about their structure, how they appeared, and what are the forces sustaining them.

While they do extend for tens of thousands of kilometers in space, the rings are oftentimes as little as 3 meters in thickness. This means that when Saturn is at equinox – sunlight falling perpendicularly to the Equator – the rings are invisible to us. The telescopes we have today are still too imprecise to allow us to resolve such thin structures. But Cassini, orbiting Saturn closer than any other spacecraft, is uniquely equipped to survey the formations in these conditions. The last equinox took place last year, and the orbiter was in position to snap photos. The next such event will take place in about 15 years.

Cassini also managed to gather impressive amounts of data on two of the most interesting moons in the solar system, Enceladus and Titan. Each of them captured the interest of astronomers for different reasons. Enceladus appears to be spewing out jets of water and ice from cracks at its South Pole, which means that its interior may be housing an ocean of liquid water, suitable for the development of early life. Conversely, Titan features lakes of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface, which will most likely constitute the target for future space exploration missions.