Only time and energy for an abbreviated post today — I’m down with the flu! But Cassini comes through in the pinch. Below is a spectacular image of Mimas seen against the blue northern latitudes of Saturn.
From the JPL description (more of which can be found here):
Mimas drifts along in its orbit against the azure backdrop of Saturn’s northern latitudes in this true color view. The long, dark lines on the atmosphere are shadows cast by the planet’s rings.
Saturn’s northern hemisphere is presently relatively cloud-free, and rays of sunlight take a long path through the atmosphere. This results in sunlight being scattered at shorter (bluer) wavelengths, thus giving the northernmost latitudes their bluish appearance at visible wavelengths.
At the bottom, craters on icy Mimas (398 kilometers, or 247 miles across) give the moon a dimpled appearance.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.
