Well, we've waited a long time for this - and I can't wait for the Huygens probe results in January, when it'll touh down on Titan, one of the most enigmatic moons in the solar system.
Just as Earth is at the triple point of water - ie, water can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas on earth - so Titan is at the triple point of Methane. And until Huygens' breaks through the biochemical smog cloudy the moon, we'll not be able to see what that looks like.
Anyway, here's how the BBC is covering the current arrival:
Cassini through the rings:
The international mission to Saturn - Cassini-Huygens - has returned the first close-up images of Saturn's rings. The probe successfully entered an orbit of the sixth planet on Thursday.
The $3.3bn probe fired its main engine for 95 minutes to slow it sufficiently to be captured by the gravity of Saturn and begin its four-year science mission.
"That brings tears to my eyes. That's just gorgeous," said Cassini's imaging team leader Carolyn Porco on seeing the remarkable first pictures of the rings.
Many of the images show ripple-like features in the rings called density waves which arise from differences in the packing of ring particles.
The pictures also show a phenomenon known as a bending wave - a spiral warping effect in the ring plane.
Both types of wave feature are caused by the influence of Saturn's external moons on the ring system.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3857187.stm
Cassini's first pass at Titan:
The international Cassini-Huygens probe has had its first opportunity to fly by Saturn's biggest moon, Titan.
Already the spacecraft has managed to detect large linear features on Titan's surface which are obscured from Earth telescopes by its thick atmosphere.
Imaging specialists said these could be techtonic structures - areas of crust which had been shaped by movement.
Cassini flew within 350,000km of the moon, the first of more than 40 visits it will make in the next four years.
Not only is Titan a primary science target for the mission, but the sheer size of the moon means navigators can use its gravitational attraction to make major changes in the spacecraft's orbital paths.
This means Cassini can move to different parts of the Saturnian system without using too much fuel.
Cassini-Huygens - the main spacecraft carries the Huygens "lander" intended for delivery to Titan in January next year - arrived at the sixth planet on Thursday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3861753.stm
Just as Earth is at the triple point of water - ie, water can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas on earth - so Titan is at the triple point of Methane. And until Huygens' breaks through the biochemical smog cloudy the moon, we'll not be able to see what that looks like.
Anyway, here's how the BBC is covering the current arrival:
Cassini through the rings:
The international mission to Saturn - Cassini-Huygens - has returned the first close-up images of Saturn's rings. The probe successfully entered an orbit of the sixth planet on Thursday.
The $3.3bn probe fired its main engine for 95 minutes to slow it sufficiently to be captured by the gravity of Saturn and begin its four-year science mission.
"That brings tears to my eyes. That's just gorgeous," said Cassini's imaging team leader Carolyn Porco on seeing the remarkable first pictures of the rings.
Many of the images show ripple-like features in the rings called density waves which arise from differences in the packing of ring particles.
The pictures also show a phenomenon known as a bending wave - a spiral warping effect in the ring plane.
Both types of wave feature are caused by the influence of Saturn's external moons on the ring system.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3857187.stm
Cassini's first pass at Titan:
The international Cassini-Huygens probe has had its first opportunity to fly by Saturn's biggest moon, Titan.
Already the spacecraft has managed to detect large linear features on Titan's surface which are obscured from Earth telescopes by its thick atmosphere.
Imaging specialists said these could be techtonic structures - areas of crust which had been shaped by movement.
Cassini flew within 350,000km of the moon, the first of more than 40 visits it will make in the next four years.
Not only is Titan a primary science target for the mission, but the sheer size of the moon means navigators can use its gravitational attraction to make major changes in the spacecraft's orbital paths.
This means Cassini can move to different parts of the Saturnian system without using too much fuel.
Cassini-Huygens - the main spacecraft carries the Huygens "lander" intended for delivery to Titan in January next year - arrived at the sixth planet on Thursday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3861753.stm
