--- title: Saturn Captured by NASA's Cassini: See Photos description: Here are some of the finest works sent back by the Cassini Saturn probe canonical: https://time.com/4143526/saturn-nasa-cassini-photos/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-09T23:19:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:33.697Z article:section: Science og:title: See Striking Black & White Photos of Saturn Captured by NASA's Cassini og:description: Here are some of the finest works sent back by the Cassini Saturn probe og:url: https://time.com/4143526/saturn-nasa-cassini-photos/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b60927de38862d6/698874ab196cf4618d039652/nasa-saturn-photos-cassini-spacecraft-04.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: nasa-saturn-photos-cassini-spacecraft-04 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See Striking Black & White Photos of Saturn Captured by NASA's Cassini twitter:description: Here are some of the finest works sent back by the Cassini Saturn probe twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b60927de38862d6/698874ab196cf4618d039652/nasa-saturn-photos-cassini-spacecraft-04.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See Striking Black & White Photos of Saturn Captured by NASA's Cassini by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) and [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/) Dec 9, 2015 11:19 PM UTC  The Saturnian moon Dione (near) is more than twice the size of Enceladus (far), though the perspective in this picture greatly exaggerates that difference. Of the two moons, Enceladus is the far more interesting body. Gravitationally squeezed by Saturn and the other passing moons, it gives off geysers of frost that trail behind it like the exhaust of a steamship. The icy crust of the planet is regularly resurfaced by the frost plumes, making it nearly as reflective as a mirror—with 99% of the light that reaches it bouncing back into space. Cassini took this picture on Sept. 8, 2015. The Saturnian moon Dione (near) is more than twice the size of Enceladus (far), though the perspective in this picture greatly exaggerates that difference. Of the two moons, Enceladus is the far more interesting body. Gravitationally squeezed by Saturn and the other passing moons, it gives off geysers of frost that trail behind it like the exhaust of a steamship. The icy crust of the planet is regularly resurfaced by the frost plumes, making it nearly as reflective as a mirror—with 99% of the light that reaches it bouncing back into space. Cassini took this picture on Sept. 8, 2015.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) and [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/) Dec 9, 2015 11:19 PM UTC  Just 62 miles long, Saturn's little moon Prometheus is made mostly of ice with a studding of rock. It orbits on the inside of Saturn's F ring and its sister moon Pandora orbits on the outside. Together they gravitationally groom the ring, keeping its edges sharp. Cassini captured this image on Dec. 6, 2015. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute  Saturn's dynamic F ring backlit by the sun. The rings take on surprising textures, thanks to the eddies in their orbits and the interacting gravity of the small and large pieces of debris that make up the rings. In this image, features astronomers call gores and jets—which look pretty much as their names suggest—are visible. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute  The Saturnian moon Dione (near) is more than twice the size of Enceladus (far), though the perspective in this picture greatly exaggerates that difference. Of the two moons, Enceladus is the far more interesting body. Gravitationally squeezed by Saturn and the other passing moons, it gives off geysers of frost that trail behind it like the exhaust of a steamship. The icy crust of the planet is regularly resurfaced by the frost plumes, making it nearly as reflective as a mirror—with 99% of the light that reaches it bouncing back into space. Cassini took this picture on Sept. 8, 2015. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute  At just 74 miles long, Epimethus is one of Saturn's smallest moons, and it would be wholly unremarkable if it weren't for its relationship with its big sister moon, the 118-mile Janus. The two moons orbit within 31 miles of one another, with the one closer to Saturn moving slightly faster. Every 2,100 revolutions—about every four years—the tug of the leading moon flips the trailing one forward, and the two swap positions. Four years after, it happens again. This picture was taken on Dec. 6, 2015. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute  Saturn is all about geometry—an ever-changing juxtaposition of finely etched shapes. Here the 657-mile moon Tethys is seen in its crescent phase in the foreground, with the razor edge of Saturn's rings slicing through the frame and the bulk of Saturn itself in the background. 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