Cassini's Greatest Hits: Best Photos of Saturn and Its Moons

The Cassini spacecraft spent just over 13 years in the Saturn system, studying this massive, gaseous planet, its rings and its moons. Thanks to gravity assists from Saturn's moon Titan, the probe was able to change its orbit around the planet many times, and view the planet from various angles. In total, the probe sent back more than 450,000 images of the Saturn system. That's a lot to sift through, but we think these are some of the most spectacular images Cassini took of Saturn.

1. End of an era

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, can be seen beyond the rings

2. Rings and Waves

Cassini captured this view of a wave structure in Saturn's rings, known as the Janus 2:1 spiral density wave. Resulting from the same process that creates spiral galaxies, spiral density waves in Saturn's rings are much more tightly wound

3. Ring Shadows

The shadow of Saturn's rings appear as a thin band at the equator in this image that was taken by Cassini as Saturn approached its August 2009 equinox.

4. Planetary portrait

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Cassini snapped this photo as it rested in Saturn's shadow, producing a stunning image where the planet's inner rings, seven of its moons and Earth can be seen.

5. Rainbow on the rings

Cassini's spacecraft offered unprecedented views of Saturn and its moons, including this photo of a rainbow on the planet's rings.

6. Colorful pole

This spectacular, vertigo-inducing, false-color image from NASA Cassini mission highlights the storms at Saturn's north pole. The angry eye of a hurricane-like storm appears dark red.

7. Unique image

In a rare wide-angle camera image from Cassini, Saturn's rings and Earth (seen here as a bright speck) share space.

8. Titan's seas

This near-infrared, color view shows the sun glinting off of Titan's north polar seas.

9.Venus through the Rings

Peering over the shoulder of Saturn, through its rings, and across interplanetary space, the Cassini spacecraft spies the bright, cloudy planet Venus

10. Trio of moons

Cassini observes three of Saturn's moons set against the darkened night side of the planet. Seen here are Rhea, closest to Cassini, Enceladus to right of Rhea, and Dione, to the left of Rhea.

11. Geysers on Enceladus

This image from Cassini, one that was acquired in a survey conducted by the spacecraft's imaging science team, shows the geyser basin at the south pole of Enceladus.

12. Light and shadow

Capturing the interplay between light and shadow, NASA's Cassini spacecraft looks toward the night side of Saturn, where sunlight reflected off the rings has dimly illuminated what would otherwise be the dark side of the planet.

13. Dione

Saturn's pale, icy moon Dione is enriched by the tranquil gold and blue hues of Saturn in the distance. The horizontal stripes near the bottom of the image are Saturn's rings.

14. Farewell, Mimas

On Jan. 30, 2017, Cassini bid so long to Saturn's "Death Star"-like moon Mimas.

15. Mind the gap

Saturn's moon Pan is seen in this color view as it sweeps through the so-called Encke Gap in Saturn's rings. As the lemon-shaped moon orbits Saturn, it always keeps its long axis pointed along a line toward the planet

16. Shadowy moon

Jagged-looking shadows stretch away from vertical structures of ring material created by the moon Daphnis in this image taken as Saturn approached its August 2009 equinox.

17. Titan and Mimas

Cassini captures a mutual event between Titan and Mimas in front of a backdrop of Saturn's rings. This image was snapped shortly before Saturn's largest moon passed in front of and occulted the small moon Mimas.

18. Dione's closeup

This view of Saturn's moon Dione was taken during a close flyby on June 16, 2015. It was Cassini's fourth targeted flyby of Dione.

19. Moon's gravity

The gravity of the potato-shaped Prometheus periodically creates streamer channels in Saturn's rings. The moon's handiwork can be seen in the dark channels in this image taken by the Cassini spacecraft.

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20. Dione in transit

Saturn's moon Dione crosses the face of the giant planet in this view, a phenomenon astronomers call a transit.

21. Icy Enceladus

On Oct. 14, 2015, the Cassini spacecraft snapped a ethereal image of Enceladus' icy north pole

22. Ligeia Mare

This image, from the Radar instrument aboard the Cassini spacecraft, shows the evolution of a transient feature in the large hydrocarbon sea named Ligeia Mare on Saturn's moon Titan.

23. Herschel Crater

Shadows cast across Mimas' defining feature, Herschel Crater, provide an indication of the size of the crater's towering walls and central peak.

24. Polar Hexagon

These natural color views compare the appearance of Saturn's north-polar region in June 2013 and April 2017. In both views, Saturn's polar hexagon dominates the scene.