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Evolution of Saturn’s Ring Tilt (2018-2024)

This is a series of Hubble Space Telescope images of the planet Saturn taken from 2018 to 2024. This sequence shows how the tilt of the magnificent ring system changes relative to the view from Earth, as Saturn orbits the Sun. Approximately every 15 years the relatively paper-thin rings (about one mile thick) can be seen edge-on. In 2018 they were near their maximum tilt toward Earth. These images were taken under a Hubble program called OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy).

 

  • Release Date
    December 9, 2024
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Celebrates Decade of Tracking Outer Planets
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael Wong (University of California); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

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Related Images & Videos

A montage of Hubble views of our solar system's four giant outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune taken from 2014 to 2024 by the OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) program. Upper-left toward center: The hazy white polar cap on the three teal-colored Uranus images appears more face-on as the planet approaches northern summer. Center-right to far-center right: Three images of the blue planet Neptune show the coming and going of clouds as the Sun's radiation level changes. Seven views of yellow-brown Saturn stretch across the mosaic center in a triangle, show the tilt of the ring plane relative to the view from Earth, from left to right from an oblique angle to nearly edge-on, with colorful changes to bands of clouds in the turbulent atmosphere. Bottom center: Three Jupiter images spanning nearly a decade form a triangle. Notable changes are seen in Jupiter's colorful white and brown striped cloud structure. The Great Red Spot, seen at southern latitudes, is prominent in each photo.

Hubble's Decade-Long Views of the Outer Solar System Planets

This is a montage of Hubble Space Telescope views of our solar system's four giant outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, each shown in enhanced color. The images were taken over nearly 10 years, from 2014 to 2024. This long baseline allows astronomers to track...

A nine-panel collage showing Hubble images of Jupiter taken under the OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) program from 2015 to 2024, with approximately true color. OPAL tracks the Great Red Spot (GRS) and other notable changes in Jupiter's banded cloud structure of zones and belts over time.

OPAL Jupiter Observations

A nine-panel collage showing Hubble images of Jupiter taken under the OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) program from 2015 to 2024, with approximately true color. OPAL tracks the Great Red Spot (GRS) and other notable changes in Jupiter's banded cloud structure of zones and...

A two-panel image labeled "Jupiter, January 5, 2024, HST WFC3/UVIS" showcases the wealth of information provided by the spectral filters on the Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) science instrument. At left, the Hubble image of Jupiter is created using three filters at wavelengths similar to the colors seen by the human eye: F395N is blue, F502N is green, F658N is red. At right, the wavelength bounds are widened beyond the visible range to extend just into the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared regimes: F343N is blue, F467M is green, FQ889N is red. Humans can't perceive these extended wavelengths. The result is a vivid disk that shows UV-absorbing lofty hazes as orange (over the poles and in three large storms, including the Great Red Spot), and freshly-formed ice as white (compact storm plumes just north of the equator). These filters (and others not shown here) allow astronomers to study differences in cloud thickness, altitude, and chemical makeup.

Multiwavelength OPAL Jupiter

Two views of Jupiter showcase the wealth of information provided by the spectral filters on the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) science instrument. At left, the RGB composite is created using three filters at wavelengths similar to the colors seen by the...

A 6-panel collage titled "Saturn, August 22, 2024, HST WFC3/UVIS." This "Warhol-esque" array of Saturn images depict real data from multiple filters mapped onto the RGB colors perceptible to the human eye. Each filter combination emphasizes subtle differences in cloud altitude or composition. Infrared spectra from the Cassini mission suggested that Saturn's aerosol particles may have even more complex chemical diversity than on Jupiter. The OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) program extends Cassini's legacy by measuring how the subtle patterns in the clouds vary over time.

Multiwavelength OPAL Saturn

A "Warhol-esque" array of Saturn images depict real data from multiple filters mapped onto the RGB colors perceptible to the human eye. Each filter combination emphasizes subtle differences in cloud altitude or composition. Infrared spectra from the Cassini mission suggested...

A time-lapse movie of a Hubble Space Telescope set of images taken of Saturn under the OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) program in August 2024. In the 18 hours of observations several small icy moons are visible in every frame speeding around like race cars: Dione, Enceladus, Janus, Mimas, and Tethys. Their orbits are co-planar with Saturn's magnificent rings. Dusty "spokes" in the rings can also be seen rotating around the planet in this movie.

OPAL Saturn Observations - August 2024

This is a time-lapse movie of a Hubble Space Telescope set of images taken of Saturn in August 2024. In the 18 hours of observations several small icy moons are visible in every frame speeding around like race cars: Dione, Enceladus, Janus, Mimas, and Tethys. Their orbits are...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Science Credit

NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael Wong (University of California)

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