Backup Blog for KaiYves

2026 June 16

Moons, Rings, Shadows, Clouds: Saturn (Cassini) Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute

Explanation: While cruising around Saturn, be on the lookout for picturesque arrangements of moons, rings, and shadows. One such striking sight occurred in 2005 and was captured by the then Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft. In the featured image, moons Mimas (left) and Tethys (right) are visible on either side of Saturn’s thin rings, which are seen nearly edge-on. Across the top of Saturn are dark shadows of the wide rings, exhibiting their impressive complexity. The violet-light image brings up the texture of the backdrop: Saturn’s clouds. Cassini orbited Saturn from 2004 until mid-2017, when the robotic spacecraft was directed to dive into Saturn to keep it from contaminating any moons.

HiPOD: Martian Impact Parties: Where Everything Happens in a Cluster 

The HiRISE and Context Camera instruments onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have discovered over 700 recent impact sites on Mars. Some of these sites contain crater clusters where multiple craters are concentrated in a single region.

These clusters are thought to have formed when an incoming impactor fragmented in the Martian atmosphere, with the resulting debris creating newer craters in close proximity. Investigating these recently formed crater clusters provides valuable insights into the atmospheric fragmentation processes and the characteristics of the impacting bodies.

Our HiRISE image shows one such site where several meter-sized craters were formed between 2009 and 2011. The craters also contain very distinctive dark blast zones, suggesting the removal or disturbance of surface material. The arcing patterns around the crater indicate an oblique impact angle, with the bolide likely coming from the southwest.

ID: ESP_055581_1985 date: 5 June 2018  altitude: 277 km

Natural Saturn On The Cassini Cruise

HiPOD: The Spring Awakening of Martian Polar Dunes

During the Martian winter, carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) blankets various landforms, including dunes, in the northern high latitudes. As spring arrives, the ice sublimates, causing unique changes on the surface.

This HiRISE image captures a site featuring a North Polar scarp and nearby dune field, showing the early to mid-stages of defrosting during northern spring. In areas without dunes, the ice remains a continuous layer, while on the dunes, dark defrosting spots appear as the surface material beneath the ice is mobilized and deposited on top.

In some cases, this mobile material also cascades down the steep dune faces, leading to the formation of dark streaks that can be easily identified in our enhanced color cutout. This dynamic interaction between the sublimating ice and the underlying surface provides us a unique glimpse at the seasonal processes that shape the landscape on present-day Mars.

Enhanced color cutout is less than 1 km across. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_087131_2640 date: 26 February 2025 altitude: 316 km

Been wanting to do a print inspired by the Flammarion engraving but also wanted to do something artemis mission inspired