Impact Site: Infrared Image

A CLOSER LOOK

This montage of images, made from data obtained by Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer, shows the location on Saturn where the NASA spacecraft entered Saturn's atmosphere on Sept. 15, 2017. This view shows Saturn in the thermal infrared, at a wavelength of 5 microns. Here, the instrument is sensing heat coming from Saturn's interior, in red. Clouds in the atmosphere are silhouetted against that inner glow. This location -- the site of Cassini's atmospheric entry -- was at this time on the night side of the planet, but would rotate into daylight by the time Cassini made its final dive into Saturn's upper atmosphere, ending its remarkable 13-year exploration of Saturn. Both an annotated version and an animation are available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA2189

Explore NASA's original image record for credits and available downloads.