夜晚的土星
(原标题: Saturn at Night)
2026-06-01
浏览次数: 1483
用望远镜观察土星和它美丽的光环常常使它成为恒星聚会中的一颗星。但是，从地球附近的望远镜来看，这颗气态巨行星的外环和夜侧的惊人景象是不可能的。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，这张由机器人宇宙飞船卡西尼号拍摄到的土星细长的月牙在阳光照射下，它的夜晚阴影投射在它宽阔而复杂的环系统上。在离开地球7年的漫长旅程后，卡西尼号在土星轨道上运行了13年（从2004年到2017年），然后于2017年9月15日被指示潜入这颗气态巨行星的大气层。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。
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Telescopic views of Saturn and its beautiful rings often make it the star of star parties. But this stunning view of the outer gas gaint planet'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 the planet's night shadow cast across its broad and complex ring system was captured by the robot spacecraft Cassini. After a seven year long journey from planet Earth, Cassini called Saturn orbit home for 13 years (from 2004 - 2017) 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. And Saturn's night will not be seen again until another spaceship from Earth calls.