Edge-On View of Saturn's Rings

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April 24, 1996: The Hubble telescope has captured snapshots of Saturn with its rings nearly edge-on to our view.

In the top image, the rings are barely visible. Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is casting a shadow on the planet. Four moons - Mimas, Tethys, Janus, and Enceladus - are clustered around the edge of Saturn's rings on the right. Two other moons - Pandora and Prometheus - appear in front of the ring plane. The rings are casting a shadow on Saturn because the Sun was above the ring plane. The bottom snapshot captures the planet with its rings slightly tilted. The moon Dione is on the lower right. The moon on Saturn's upper left is Tethys.

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