The earliest successful photograph of Saturn was taken in 1883 by Andrew Common. In 1895, James Keeler suggested that the rings are in fact a swarm of particles in near-independent orbits. These rings, until the recent discoveries of faint ring systems around Jupiter and Uranus, were considered unique in the solar system.
Since Galileo first used his homemade telescope to view Saturn, there have been many observers. There have also been major advances in telescopes; a resulting modern view of Saturn is shown on the next page. The corresponding sketch shows the nomenclature of the brightest rings.
Now the planet has been seen for the first time not from Earth, but in much closer views by an instrument on a spacecraft, the imaging photopolarimeter on Pioneer Saturn. The instrument separately measures the strengths of the red and blue components of sunlight scattered from the clouds of Saturn and converts this information into numbers. The data are transmitted to Earth as part of the spacecraft telemetry. The signals are then converted by computer into shades of gray on photographic film, and the two components plus a synthesized green image can be recombined into a color image that approximates the planet’s true color. Some of the resulting images are shown on the pages following the Earth-based view. These pictures were produced by a scientific team from the University of Arizona.
These images, while helping to unravel some of the mystery surrounding the planet, have created even more interest regarding it. We are really just beginning to know Saturn. It is up to future spacecraft to more completely reveal her secrets and solve her mysteries.
High-quality contemporary Earth-based view of Saturn (Photo: Catalina Observatory, University of Arizona).
Nomenclature of bright rings.
OUTER (A) RING CASSINI DIVISION MIDDLE (B) RING CREPE (C) RING
