SOLAR SYSTEM

UNIVERSE

SPACE EXPLORATION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Pictures taken by the Cassini spacecraft show that the rings surrounding Saturn have dark and light bands. Until these pictures were taken, scientists on Earth did not know about this difference in color. Why was the Cassini spacecraft able to take pictures of the dark and light bands in Saturn’s rings while they are not visible from Earth?
A
The rings around Saturn are covered by thick, dark clouds made of toxic gases.
B
Bright sunlight makes it difficult to see colors the farther it travels in the solar system.
C
The differences between the light and dark bands are the result of minerals not found on Earth.
D
Telescopes on Earth are not powerful enough to see these differences at the great distance.
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Why was the Cassinispacecraft able to take pictures ofthe dark and light bands in Saturn’s rings while they are not visible from Earth? The rings around Saturn are covered by thick, dark clouds made of toxic gases. Bright sunlight makes it difficult to see colors the farther it travels in the solar system.

Detailed explanation-2: -Suggested answer: Cassini showed scientists that the chunks of ice that make up the seven rings of Saturn are crashing into each other all the time. Cassini also found that there are small moons travelling around Saturn between Saturn’s rings.

Detailed explanation-3: -Cassini’s long mission enabled us to observe weather and seasonal changes on another planet. Cassini revealed Saturn’s moons to be unique worlds with their own stories to tell. Cassini showed us the complexity of Saturn’s rings and the dramatic processes operating within them.

Detailed explanation-4: -Cassini’s cameras captured views in color by taking three images, each with a different color filter, which were then combined back on Earth.

Detailed explanation-5: -NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is giving earthlings their closest-ever views of Saturn’s swirled atmosphere and its massive hurricane, beaming a trove of images and data back to Earth after the craft made its first dive between Saturn and its rings Wednesday.

Detailed explanation-6: -Every week, Cassini dived through the approximately 1, 200-mile-wide (2, 000-kilometer-wide) gap between Saturn and its rings. No other spacecraft had ever explored this unique region.

Detailed explanation-7: -By analyzing the spectra, VIMS was able to learn about the composition of materials on all five moons. VIMS saw that the ring moons closest to Saturn appear the reddest, similar to the color of the main rings.

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