Mysteries of Saturn revealed: Nasa probe captures clearest views of planet's rings - and the tiny 'mini-moons' swimming inside them




Nasa's Cassini probe has tumbled into a new orbit that has given it a spectacular new view of the planet's most famous feature - its rings, giant orbiting discs made of water ice and dust.

The new views Cassini has captured are the sharpest the probe has 'seen' in years - and are allowing scientists to track tiny 'mini-moons' within the rings, carving out trails in the ice as they orbit the huge planet, the solar system's second largest.



Casssini's new orbit has enabled it to capture spectacular views of Saturn's rings and the moons Rhea, Tethys and Pandora





Saturn and her rings as the rings cast shadows on the planet. Nasa's probe Cassini captured the view at a distance of approximately 621,000 miles from Saturn

An image taken by Cassini in 2012. A shadow cast by Saturn's moon Tethys across the A ring as Saturn's own shadow block light from the lower part of the rings (bottom right). Cassini captured the view at a distance of approximately 1.1 million miles from Saturn

Rugged surface: The cratered southern surface of Saturn'a moon Rhea (T) ) and moon Dione with Saturn's rings below it









Stunning: These beautiful pictures of Saturn's rings were taken by a space probe orbiting the second largest planet in the solar system

Satellites: As well as rings, the Cassini spacecraft has taken amazing pictures of Saturn's moons

Artistic: But the beautiful images were actually created in the name of science The new Saturn ring photos come as the Cassini probe moves into a slightly different orbit around its gas giant target, officials with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in an image announcement The Cassini probe has been orbiting Saturn for eight years



MYSTERIES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM'S SECOND-LARGEST PLANET

Saturn lies 890 million miles from the Sun on average.



It has a diameter of 74,897 miles.



It’s a very very cold planet, with an average temperature of -140C (-220F).



It’s made of liquid and solid hydrogen and helium and is so light it would float on water.



It’s most famous for its rings, which were first discovered in the 17th-century. They extend 46,000 miles out and have a total diameter of almost 170,000 miles.





It has been two years since Cassini has had such clear views of Saturn's rings.



The Nasa team behind the probe say, 'These views are possible again because Cassini has changed the angle at which it orbits Saturn and regularly passes above and below Saturn's equatorial plane.



'Steeply inclined orbits around the Saturn system also allow scientists to get better views of the poles and atmosphere of Saturn and its moons.'



'Cassini's recent return of ring images has started to pay off. A group of scientists has restarted the team's studies of propeller-shaped gaps. These gaps are cleared out by objects that are smaller than known moons but larger than typical ring particles.'



'But in fact they are part of a scientific mission - and they were captured not by an artist, but by a satellite orbiting the planet Saturn.'

It has 60 moons – more than any other planet in the solar system, bar Jupiter. One of them, Titan, is the second largest in the solar system and actually has an atmosphere – composed mainly of nitrogen.



Saturn is extremely stormy, with winds gusting at 1,000mph at the equator.

Harmonious: But although Saturn may look peaceful, its rings are in fact constantly fluctuating

This image was released by Nasa in 2012. The image was made possible by Cassini changing its orbit for the first time in two years. Cassini is the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter orbit

Scientists have used this image to analyse mysterious propeller shapes which frequently appear within the rings. Based on data gathered from the Cassini spacecraft, scientists last year estimated that Saturn¿s rings date back more than four billion years

The probe was first launched in 1997, and has been orbiting Saturn since 2006.



It has recently changed the path of its orbit, which is why it is transmitting clear images of the planet's rings for the first time in two years.



'We're entering a new episode in Cassini's exploratory voyage through the Saturn system, said Carolyn Porco from the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.



'These new ring results are an early harbinger of great things to come.'



Great view: But we on earth can also see Saturn on a clear night, as the planet is shining very brightly at the moment

Dark: But the images are shedding new light on the iconic rings which surround Saturn

Those of us stuck here on earth can also get a chance to observe Saturn - even if our view is somewhat less spectacular.



The planet is shining very brightly at the moment and can be seen with the naked eye on a clear night.



