NASA. LARGE FORMAT. The giant planet Saturn, observed with t - Lot 177

NASA. LARGE FORMAT. The giant planet Saturn, observed with the VLT's NAOS-CONICA adaptive optics instrument on December 8, 2001; the distance was 1209 million km. This is a composite of exposures in two near-infrared wavebands (H and K), showing the complex, banded structure of the planet's atmosphere and rings. Note also the dark spot at the south pole at the bottom of the image. One of the moons, Tethys, is visible as a small bright spot beneath the planet. It was used to guide the telescope and to "recenter" the adaptive optics for this observation. This image of Saturn, the second largest planet in the solar system, was obtained at a time when Saturn was close to summer solstice in the southern hemisphere. At this time, the inclination of the rings was at its maximum, providing the best possible view of the planet's south pole. This area was on Saturn's night side in 1982, and so could not be photographed during the Voyager encounter. The dark spot near the south pole is a remarkable structure measuring around 300 km in diameter. The bright spot near the equator is the remnant of a giant storm in Saturn's extended atmosphere that lasted over 5 years. The present photo offers what is probably the sharpest view of the ring system ever obtained from a ground-based observatory. 2001.period chromogenic print. Reference on label on back. 40.6 x 40.6CM with margins.