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Saturn’s B and C-rings

This view focused on Saturn's C-ring (and to a lesser extent, the B-ring at top and left) and was compiled from three separate images taken by NASA's Voyager 2 on Aug. 23, 1981.
PIA01531
Credits: NASA/JPL
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Description

This view focusing on Saturn's C-ring (and to a lesser extent, the B-ring at top and left) was compiled from three separate images taken through ultraviolet, clear and green filters. On Aug. 23, when it acquired these frames, Voyager 2 was 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from the planet. More than 60 bright and dark ringlets are evident here; the small, bland squares are caused by the removal of reseau (reference) marks during processing. In general, C-ring material is very bland and gray, the color of dirty ice. Color differences between this ring and the B-ring indicate differing surface compositions for the material composing these complex structures.

JPL manages the Voyager project for NASA's Office of Space Science.