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NASA spacecraft Cassini's new images of Saturn and its moon Titan

A NASA spacecraft has released dazzling new images of the ringed planet Saturn and its moon as a Christmas greeting.

NASA soars over Titan

A NASA spacecraft has sent holiday greetings from the outer solar space.

The space agency today (AEDT) released dazzling new images of the ringed planet Saturn and its moons. The Cassini spacecraft took the pictures earlier this year.

Saturn resembled an ornament in one image, with a jet stream swirling at its north pole along with a hurricane-like storm.

Cassini also peered through the hazy atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, revealing hydrocarbon lakes. The icy Saturn moon Enceladus appears as a white snowball.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft slipped into Saturn's shadow and turned to image the planet, seven of its moons, its inner rings - and, in the background, Earth. Picture: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI
NASA's Cassini spacecraft slipped into Saturn's shadow and turned to image the planet, seven of its moons, its inner rings - and, in the background, Earth. Picture: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

Cassini, funded by NASA and the European and Italian space agencies, was launched in 1997. The spacecraft reached Saturn in 2004 and has been studying the planet and its many moons.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/nasa-spacecraft-cassinis-new-images-of-saturn-and-its-moon-titan/news-story/651fa0333104849aa6bc731e723d8340