¿ Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2020 May 27 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Earth and Moon through Saturn's Rings Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]JPL-Caltech, [6]SSI, [7]Cassini Imaging Team; Processing & [8]License: [9]Kevin M. Gill Explanation: What are those dots between Saturn's rings? Our [10]Earth and Moon. Just over three years ago, because the [11]Sun was temporarily blocked by the body of Saturn, the robotic [12]Cassini spacecraft was able to look toward the [13]inner Solar System. There, it spotted our [14]Earth and [15]Moon -- just pin-pricks of light lying about 1.4 billion kilometers distant. Toward the right of the [16]featured image is [17]Saturn's A [18]ring, with the broad [19]Encke Gap on the far right and the narrower [20]Keeler Gap toward the center. On the far left is Saturn's continually changing [21]F Ring. From [22]this perspective, the light seen from [23]Saturn's rings was scattered mostly forward , and so appeared backlit. After more than a decade of exploration and discovery, the Cassini spacecraft ran low on fuel in 2017 and was directed to [24]enter Saturn's atmosphere, where it surely melted. Gallery: [25]Notable Venus & Mercury Conjunction 2020 Images submitted to APOD Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [26]< | [27]Archive | [28]Submissions | [29]Index | [30]Search | [31]Calendar | [32]RSS | [33]Education | [34]About APOD | [35]Discuss | [36]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [37]Robert Nemiroff ([38]MTU) & [39]Jerry Bonnell ([40]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [41]Specific rights apply. [42]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC & [46]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2005/SaturnEarthMoon_Cassini_850.jpg 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://www.esa.int/ 5. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ 6. http://www.spacescience.org/ 7. http://ciclops.org/ 8. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ 9. https://www.flickr.com/people/kevinmgill/ 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171204.html 11. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/ 12. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/mission/spacecraft/cassini-orbiter/ 13. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/focus-areas/inner-solar-system 14. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/ 15. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/overview/ 16. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmgill/43988601072/in/album-72157691101106214/ 17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn#A_Ring_structures 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180424.html 19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn#Encke_Gap 20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn#Keeler_Gap 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160108.html 22. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8c/eb/1b/8ceb1b63bec53008e600e3e2e3854631.jpg 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161124.html 24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrGAQCq9BMU 25. https://www.facebook.com/pg/APOD.Sky/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2634468203324049 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200526.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 30. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 35. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200527 36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200528.html 37. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 38. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 39. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 40. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 41. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 42. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 44. https://www.nasa.gov/ 45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 46. http://www.mtu.edu/