Colourful Saturn, getting closer

The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft's cameras are functioning well and continue to return stunning views from 1200 million kilometres from Earth and now 15.7 million kilometres from Saturn.
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In this narrow-angle camera image from 21 May 2004, the ringed planet displays subtle, multi-hued atmospheric bands, coloured by yet undetermined compounds. Mission scientists hope to determine the exact composition of this material.

This image also offers a preview of the detailed survey Cassini will conduct on the planet's dazzling rings. Slight differences in colour denote both differences in ring particle composition and light scattering properties.