APOD 13: CASSINI SPACECRAFT CROSSES SATURN'S RING PLANE

February 23, 2014
Saturn's rings are confined to a plane many times thinner than even a razor blade. When the Earth crosses the ring plane, the edge-on rings seem to disappear. The spacecraft Cassini orbiting Saturn now also crosses Saturn's ring plane. The ring plane appears blue, as bands and clouds in the upper atmosphere appear golden. The bumps in the ring are Saturn's moons.