* Astronomy

This image of Rhea was taken be the Cassini space probe on August 17, 2006, when it was approximately 162,375 kilometres away.


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The image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters.

The crescent of Rhea, the second-largest moon of Saturn, was imaged in colour by the Cassini spacecraft, as it shines through gaps in the rings.


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Rhea (1,528 kilometres across) lies beyond the dim, unlit side of the rings. A diffuse clump of material lies in the F ring, on the side nearest to Cassini.

Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural colour view, which approximates the scene as it might appear to human eyes. The view was acquired with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 1, 2006 at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometres from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 118 degrees. Image scale is 7 kilometres per pixel.

Rhea's devastated surface creates a jagged terminator as mountains and crater rims break-up the line between day and night. Terrain on Rhea's night side is dimly lit by reflected light from Saturn.



The view looks toward the southern hemisphere on the moon's trailing side. North on Rhea is up.
The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 22, 2006 at a distance of approximately 263,000 kilometres from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 138 degrees. Image scale is 2 kilometres per pixel.

This image of Rhea was taken by the Cassini spaceprobe on May 22, 2006 when it was approximately 262,677 kilometres away.



The image was taken using the CL1 and GRN filters.