Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Fri Dec 23 2022 00:13:06

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2022 December 23
     The featured image shows a black and white image with Saturn's orb
     dominating the image bottom and Saturn's rings dominating the image
       top. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                        Cassini Looks Out from Saturn
          Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute

   Explanation: This is what Saturn looks like from inside the rings. In
   2017, for the first time, NASA directed the Cassini spacecraft to swoop
   between Saturn and its rings. During the dive, the robotic spacecraft
   took hundreds of images showing unprecedented detail for structures in
   Saturn's atmosphere. Looking back out, however, the spacecraft was also
   able to capture impressive vistas. In the featured image, taken a few
   hours before closest approach, Saturn's unusual northern hexagon is
   seen surrounding the North Pole. Saturn's B ring is the closest
   visible, while the dark Cassini Division separates B from the outer A.
   A close inspection will find the two small moons that shepherd the
   F-ring, the farthest ring discernable. A few months after this image
   was taken -- and after more than a decade of exploration and discovery
   -- the Cassini spacecraft ran low on fuel and was directed to enter
   Saturn's atmosphere, where it surely melted.

                    Tomorrow's picture: the night before
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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