2001 August 8
Next stop: Saturn.
The
Cassini spacecraft,
launched from Earth four years ago,
has now swung
past Jupiter and should arrive at
Saturn
in the year 2004.
Pictured to the left is a
parting shot from Cassini in January that
would not have been possible from Earth: Jupiter showing a
crescent phase.
From the Earth and all points sunward of
Jupiter,
the gas giant will always appear more fully lit than a
crescent.
After arriving at Saturn,
Cassini will decelerate to
orbit the ringed world and send a
probe to its enigmatic moon
Titan.