Pandora is just to the left of Enceladus, but is not visible because Enceladus is too bright. Rhea is visible just off the eastern limb of Saturn, and casts a shadow on the south face of Saturn. The atmospheric circulation pattern has rotated to just past the center of the planet's disk, and is followed by more wispy structure in the bright band of clouds, reminiscent of the structure seen during the Saturn storm observed in 1990. These images will be used to determine the time of ring-plane crossing and the thickness of the main rings and to search for as yet undiscovered satellites. Each of these images is a 7-second exposure at 8922 Angstroms in a methane absorption band.
North is up and east is to the left.
High Res JPEG file and caption. Saturn's rings will sweep across the Earth and Sun in 1995 and 1996. Saturn ring plane crossings provide a splendid opportunity to observe Saturn's faintest rings and smallest satellites. The edge-on viewing geometry also permits direct observations of the main rings' thickness, and the timing of satellite eclipses and mutual events can be used to improve existing ephemerides. In 1995-96, the Earth and Sun are passing through Saturn's ring plane.