Very, very cool (and spectacular) picture of Saturn eclipsing the sun taken by Cassini from behind the planet (night side)! Thanks, WolfDaddy.

""What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! ..."
-Hamlet, by W. Shakespears

Are you freaking kidding me?

That's the coolest photo I've ever seen.

Far in the distance, visible on the image left just above the bright main rings, is the almost ignorable pale blue dot of Earth.

Oh man, even better.

That is stunning.

It's funny — like paulsc, I thought of Hamlet, but in quite a different context. This photo puts us firmly in our place:

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

that. is. amazing.

I'm pretty sure I saw a dude on Canal St make that with some spray paint and a lighter.

Many years ago I began a series of short "vignette" poems very briefly describing individual characteristics of the planets and other celestial bodies and curiosties.

Here's my Saturn poem:

Mr. Personality

Saturn in gold and silver,
tuxedo tail flapping in the solar wind
is light on his feet;
Saint Speed,
surrounded by
his circle of admirers.
___________________

Because Saturn:

* has the most extensive satellite system in the solar system (even without the rings), and most of its moons rotate synchronously

* a strong magnetic field that the solar wind drags out to a magnetic tail

* is the least dense of all the planets, with a specific gravity less than water (it would actually float in your bathtub if you had a really, really big bathtub. You don't, do you? Becaise we could totally try this.)

* has an extremely fast rotation, with a day of a little more 10 hours

But I should really revisit these poems and update them with some of the fascinating new information we've discovered in the past few years. For example, Saturn's rotation is a puzzle and Saturn has bizarre warm pole. That last one could make an especially fun metaphor. :)

I am such a pleb. I never thought of Shakespeare when I saw that. I just thought "Wow, that's amazing" and "aren't I little in the grand scheme of things"

It's beautiful. It makes my eyes well up with hope and excitement. Some day we will work together as the human race and reach the stars, for all of us. I hope that I live long enough to make it to the ships.

Spectacular.

it would actually float in your bathtub if you had a really, really big bathtub

I'm pretty sure there's a big bathtub somewhere in the Mecha mansion!

Lovely poem, taz...I'd love to see all your planetpoems!!!!

Stunning.

hmmm... would you really, WolfDaddy? Because I might have to just go back to them and do some updating and fiddling. Maybe I'll make a little space on the web for my space songs (that's what I called them back then, anyway... I might have to rethink that title :)

Yes yes yes taz! Would lurve to read them all! Even non-updated, seriously! I fancy myself somewhat of a romantic when I view the heavens, but not so much as to describe Saturn with tuxedo tails flapping in the solar wind...

Okay, mr. daddy... I'll do it! I'll email you once I have put them up.

Gorgeous photo. Absolutely amazing.