There's more about the Cassini mission in a special Horizon programme on BBC Two which will review the mission on Monday 18 September at 21:00 BST.
7 Cassini discoveries.
1. Life could exist on the moon Enceladus 2. Six new moons discovered (Saturn has over 60 moons, 6 of which Cassini discovered. Some of Saturn's moons resemble potatoes, another has colourful streaks. The moons vary in size, colour, texture, composition — each Saturn moon is, in a way, its own character.) 3. Each season on Saturn lasts about seven Earth years. 4. Titan the moon has hidden oceans (Saturn's largest moon, bigger than Mercury, hides dunes, mountains of water ice and seas of liquid methane. It's the solar system's only moon with liquid reservoirs on its surface.) 5. Saturn's rings (Unlike other planets, Saturn has retained its rings through nearly 5bn years of the solar system. Cassini captured how the moons, and moonlets, push and tug at the rings made of ice and dust. The interchange of material is what 'feeds' the rings.) 6. Saturn has 'hurricanes' (Saturn's turbulent atmosphere churns with storms; Cassini got an up-close look at the north polar storm: its eye was 50 times wider than an Earth hurricane's eye.) 7. Only other planet known to have lightning
Comments
Astonishing really, those actual pictures they showed were awesome.
The whole concept of planning a journey that far using slingshots around planets to save fuel is mind blowing.
7 Cassini discoveries.
1. Life could exist on the moon Enceladus
2. Six new moons discovered
(Saturn has over 60 moons, 6 of which Cassini discovered. Some of Saturn's moons resemble potatoes, another has colourful streaks. The moons vary in size, colour, texture, composition — each Saturn moon is, in a way, its own character.)
3. Each season on Saturn lasts about seven Earth years.
4. Titan the moon has hidden oceans
(Saturn's largest moon, bigger than Mercury, hides dunes, mountains of water ice and seas of liquid methane. It's the solar system's only moon with liquid reservoirs on its surface.)
5. Saturn's rings
(Unlike other planets, Saturn has retained its rings through nearly 5bn years of the solar system. Cassini captured how the moons, and moonlets, push and tug at the rings made of ice and dust. The interchange of material is what 'feeds' the rings.)
6. Saturn has 'hurricanes'
(Saturn's turbulent atmosphere churns with storms; Cassini got an up-close look at the north polar storm: its eye was 50 times wider than an Earth hurricane's eye.)
7. Only other planet known to have lightning