NASA Releases Collage of Earthlings Waving at Saturn Captured by Cassini

Last month NASA encouraged earthlings to participate in the 'Wave at Saturn' event as the Cassini spacecraft was in position to snap our home planet next to Saturn and its rings. More than 1,400 people from around the globe participated in this event organized by NASA and shared their images.

NASA has assembled these images and released a collage on Wednesday, which is available online.

People who participated in the most exciting Cassini event shared images of themselves waving at Saturn. The event took place on July 19, 2013. On this day, NASA's Cassini turned toward the Earth to capture it along with Saturn's ring a as part of a mosaic or multi-image portrait, in which Earth appeared as a small pale blue dot between the rings of Saturn. The space agency was flooded with images from more than 40 countries and 30 U.S. states.  

"Thanks to all of you, near and far, old and young, who joined the Cassini mission in marking the first time inhabitants of Earth had advance notice that our picture was being taken from interplanetary distances," said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., in a press statement. "While Earth is too small in the images Cassini obtained to distinguish any individual human beings, the mission has put together this collage so that we can celebrate all your waving hands, uplifted paws, smiling faces and artwork."

Capturing Earth from outer space is difficult as well challenging, but Cassini succeeded in taking pictures of Earth due to the orbital geometry. The Sun drifted behind Saturn and the light from the Sun was blocked by the planet enabling Cassini to take the images. Cassini images showed Earth and the moon as mere specks in space. The moon appears as a stark white object and Earth a pale blue dot.

Though Cassini got a lot of attention with the colored set of images it produced, NASA's other spacecraft MESSENGER that orbits Mercury also captured Earth. It provided black and white image of the Earth.

Currently, the scientists are assembling the color mosaic of the Saturn system, which will take several months to finish.