On 26 April, the Cassini spacecraft swung between Saturn and its rings, closer than any spacecraft has ever been before. This was the start of its Grand Finale, which will end with its demise as it crashes into the planet. Here are some of the astonishing images it鈥檚 taken so far. Above is an image of Saturn鈥檚 north pole, which is enveloped by a huge hexagonal storm.
Before swooping down toward the planet, Cassini flew high over its north pole, snapping images of the pole and rings (below).
As it neared the planet, travelling at over 100,000 kilometres per hour, it took a series of pictures of Saturn鈥檚 thick atmosphere, which is swept by winds and swirling storms (below).
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It also took images of Saturn鈥檚 diffuse outer rings (below) and its tiny, icy moon Enceladus.
Enceladus (below) spews jets of liquid water from its internal ocean, which is one of the most promising locales for life in our solar system.
These images are raw, appearing as they were received from the spacecraft. In the coming days and weeks, imaging experts will process the pictures, sharpening them and adding data from Cassini about colour. Graphic designer and space blogger has gotten a head start, giving us a preview of what those final images might look like (at top and below).
