Cassini

Saturn’s moon Titan is one of the most interesting bodies in the solar system – but at a glance it looks like a dull yellow ball, thanks to a soupy atmosphere. Now, using 13 years’ worth of infrared data from Cassini, astronomers have stitched together the clearest images yet of Titan’s surface.

Using data returned by the unmanned Cassini spacecraft as it made its last orbits, space scientists have captured the dynamic interaction of plasma waves moving between Saturn and its moon Enceladus and turned them into a haunting cosmic soundtrack.

Saturn’s moon Enceladus is one of the most promising places in the Solar System to look for extraterrestrial life. Now Cassini mission data has shown the presence of complex organic molecules, spraying up from the moon’s subsurface ocean through cracks in the icy shell.

It's all a matter of perspective. The latest snap shared by scientists from NASA's Cassini's mission won't not reach the iconic status of Voyager 1's legendary Pale Blue Dot image, but does show a corner of our Solar System in a fascinating new light.

Saturn’s moon Enceladus is one of the most promising places to look for life. In a new study, scientists subjected earthly bacteria to the kind of conditions found on Enceladus. They were able to survive and reproduce, adding weight to the idea that the icy moon might just be able to support life.

The science team responsible for NASA's Cassini spacecraft has released a gallery of the stand-out images from the probe's final hectic year exploring the Saturnian system.

NASA has released a somber view of Saturn, created from some of the final images captured by the Cassini spacecraft. An annotated version of the image highlights the region of Saturn’s cloud surface in which Cassini ended its epic mission by diving into the atmosphere of the gas giant.

Saturn’s moon Titan is very Earth-like, with lakes and oceans, but instead of water, those seas are composed of liquid methane and ethane. Now, scientists at NASA and WSU have recreated that alien ocean in the lab, to test out designs for submarines that may one day dive into the Titanic depths.

​An international team of scientists has discovered that the Saturnian moon Titan has its own sea level dictating the height of its alien hydrocarbon oceans. The new discovery adds to a growing list of geological characteristics and processes that the enigmatic moon has in common with Earth.

It was a year of endings, beginnings, and new promises in the field of space travel in 2017. New records were set, new launchers were tested, and new "kingdoms" were founded. Meanwhile, veteran space missions took their last bows and old ideas were revisited. Here are the space highlights of 2017.

On September 15th, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft ended its hall of fame mission to Saturn with a dramatic plunge into the gas giant’s atmosphere. NASA has now released a mosaic of Saturn and its rings created from images taken by the probe during its final, 293rd orbit of the majestic gas giant.

​​NASA has released a playlist of haunting audio clips created from real data collected by famous spacecraft, such as the late great Cassini and Voyager 1, as they unravel the secrets of our fascinating and diverse solar system.​