New Video From Cassini Gives Passenger’s Eye View Of Saturn

NASA's Cassini spacecraft sent an amazing new video of what it saw during the first plunge in its "Grand Finale" mission. The new footage of the Saturn dive captured an hour's worth of observations from the spacecraft on April 26.

At the time, the spacecraft started its journey between Saturn's cloud tops and its rings. The video started near the north polar vortex and the bizarre hexagonal jet stream that surrounded it. Cassini imaging team associate Kunio Sayanagi of Hampton University in Virgina said in a statement that he was surpirsed to see the many sharp edges along the outer boundary of the hexagon.

Space.com noted that the view as seen in the video shifts over the course of the dive in several ways. For instance, as Cassini gets closer to the cloud tops, image resolution changes. Yet, the newly released video almost makes its viewers feel like they are peeking out of Cassini's own window as it flies over the hexagonal jet stream.

The most surprising revelation from Cassini, however, is not the mysterious jet stream that was spotted by the Voyager 35 years ago but the emptiness of Saturn's rings. NASA officials said in a statement that Cassini's antenna was used as protective shield during the crossing of the ring plane. However, it seems that Cassini did not end up taking a lot of hits. For the scientists, this means that the narrow gap between Saturn and its innermost rings is actually surprisingly empty.

While it still works flawlessly, Cassini is running out of fuel. This is why scientists will have to let it go after its "Grand Finale." Los Angeles Times reported that Cassini's final dive will occur on Sep. 15. On this day, the spacecraft will go on a suicide plunge that will ensure it would not contaminate one of two Saturn moons that have the potential to harbor life.