![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2014\/06\/saturn_s_shadows\/14598391-1-eng-GB\/Saturn_s_shadows_small.jpg\")
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\nIt may seem odd to think of planets casting shadows out in the inky blackness of space, but it is a common phenomenon. Earth\u2019s shadow obscures the Moon during a lunar eclipse, and Jupiter\u2019s moons<\/a> cast small shadows onto their parent planet. \n<\/p>\n \nOne of the best places in our Solar System to spot intriguing and beautiful celestial shadows is at Saturn. On 1 July<\/a>, the international Cassini mission celebrates 10 years<\/a> of exploring Saturn, its rings and its moons, an endeavour that has produced invaluable science but also stunning images<\/a> like this.\n<\/p>\n \nDrifting along in the foreground, small and serene, is Saturn\u2019s icy moon Mimas. The blue backdrop may at first appear to be the gas giant\u2019s famous and impressive set of rings, with pale and dark regions separated by long inky black slashes, but it is actually the northern hemisphere of Saturn itself. The dark lines slicing across the frame are shadows cast by the rings onto the planet.\n<\/p>\n \nAlthough we may not associate the colour blue with Saturn, when Cassini arrived at the planet the northernmost regions displayed the delicate blue palette shown in this image. As this region of Saturn is generally quite free of cloud, scattering by molecules in the atmosphere causes sunlight to take a longer path through the atmosphere. The light is scattered predominantly at shorter \u2013 bluer \u2013 wavelengths. This is similar to why the sky on Earth appears blue to our eyes.\n<\/p>\n \nSeasonal changes over the years since this photo was taken have turned the blue into Saturn’s more familiar golden hue. The reverse is occurring in the south, which is slowly becoming bluer.\n<\/p>\n \nThis image is composed of infrared, optical and ultraviolet observations from Cassini\u2019s narrow-angle camera on 18 January 2005. The colours closely match what the scene would look like in true colour.\n<\/p>\n \nThe Cassini\u2013Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA and Italy\u2019s ASI space agency.\n<\/p>\n \nThis image was first published on the NASA Cassini website<\/a>, in 2005.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \t\t\t\t\t \nIt may seem odd to think of planets casting shadows out in the inky blackness of space, but it is a common phenomenon. Earth\u2019s shadow obscures the Moon during a lunar eclipse, and Jupiter\u2019s moons<\/a> cast small shadows onto their parent planet. \n<\/p>\n \nOne of the best places in our Solar System to spot intriguing and beautiful celestial shadows is at Saturn. On 1 July<\/a>, the international Cassini mission celebrates 10 years<\/a> of exploring Saturn, its rings and its moons, an endeavour that has produced invaluable science but also stunning images<\/a> like this.\n<\/p>\n \nDrifting along in the foreground, small and serene, is Saturn\u2019s icy moon Mimas. The blue backdrop may at first appear to be the gas giant\u2019s famous and impressive set of rings, with pale and dark regions separated by long inky black slashes, but it is actually the northern hemisphere of Saturn itself. The dark lines slicing across the frame are shadows cast by the rings onto the planet.\n<\/p>\n \nAlthough we may not associate the colour blue with Saturn, when Cassini arrived at the planet the northernmost regions displayed the delicate blue palette shown in this image. As this region of Saturn is generally quite free of cloud, scattering by molecules in the atmosphere causes sunlight to take a longer path through the atmosphere. The light is scattered predominantly at shorter \u2013 bluer \u2013 wavelengths. This is similar to why the sky on Earth appears blue to our eyes.\n<\/p>\n \nSeasonal changes over the years since this photo was taken have turned the blue into Saturn’s more familiar golden hue. The reverse is occurring in the south, which is slowly becoming bluer.\n<\/p>\n \nThis image is composed of infrared, optical and ultraviolet observations from Cassini\u2019s narrow-angle camera on 18 January 2005. The colours closely match what the scene would look like in true colour.\n<\/p>\n \nThe Cassini\u2013Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA and Italy\u2019s ASI space agency.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n