NASA Science Solar System Exploration

Skip Navigation

menu close modal

News | December 22, 2011

Cassini Top 10 Images of 2011

Where were you during the storm? In 2011, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft circled Saturn for a front-row view of the huge storm there. One of those looks made the mission scientists’ list of Top 10 images of 2011. What else made the list? Check it out.

This image shows grooves in the southern part of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Groovy Enceladus

This image shows grooves in the southern part of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Groovy Enceladus
These two false-color views from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show detailed patterns that change during one Saturn day within the huge storm in the planet's northern hemisphere.

Churning Psychedelia

These two false-color views from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show detailed patterns that change during one Saturn day within the huge storm in the planet's northern hemisphere.

Churning Psychedelia
During a flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Oct. 1, 2011, the Cassini spacecraft snapped this portrait of the moon joined by its sibling Epimetheus and the planet's rings.

Hiding Little Brother

During a flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Oct. 1, 2011, the Cassini spacecraft snapped this portrait of the moon joined by its sibling Epimetheus and the planet's rings.

Hiding Little Brother
A quintet of Saturn's moons come together in the Cassini spacecraft's field of view for this portrait.

Quintet of Moons

A quintet of Saturn's moons come together in the Cassini spacecraft's field of view for this portrait.

Quintet of Moons
These false-color images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft chronicle a day in the life of a huge storm that developed from a small spot that appeared 12 weeks earlier in Saturn's northern mid-latitudes.

A Day in the Life

These false-color images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft chronicle a day in the life of a huge storm that developed from a small spot that appeared 12 weeks earlier in Saturn's northern mid-latitudes.

A Day in the Life
The huge storm churning through the atmosphere in Saturn's northern hemisphere overtakes itself as it encircles the planet in this true-color view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

Catching Its Tail

The huge storm churning through the atmosphere in Saturn's northern hemisphere overtakes itself as it encircles the planet in this true-color view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

Catching Its Tail
NASA's Cassini spacecraft obtained this unprocessed image of Saturn's moon Helene on June 18, 2011.

Helene, Close up

NASA's Cassini spacecraft obtained this unprocessed image of Saturn's moon Helene on June 18, 2011.

Helene, Close up
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spotted a glowing patch of ultraviolet light near Saturn's north pole that marks the presence of an electrical circuit that connects Saturn with its moon Enceladus.

Enceladus 'Footprint' on Saturn

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spotted a glowing patch of ultraviolet light near Saturn's north pole that marks the presence of an electrical circuit that connects Saturn with its moon Enceladus.

Enceladus 'Footprint' on Saturn
This spectrogram and video show a changing pattern of radio waves from Saturn known as Saturn Kilometric Radiation, as detected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Saturn's Radio Period Crossover

This spectrogram and video show a changing pattern of radio waves from Saturn known as Saturn Kilometric Radiation, as detected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Saturn's Radio Period Crossover
NASA's Cassini spacecraft chronicles the change of seasons as it captures clouds concentrated near the equator of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

Equatorial Titan Clouds

NASA's Cassini spacecraft chronicles the change of seasons as it captures clouds concentrated near the equator of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

Equatorial Titan Clouds

You Might Also Like

A new index shows that the world’s rainforests are responding differently to threats like a warming climate and deforestation.

Index Ranks Rainforests' Vulnerability to Climate and Human Impacts

Index Ranks Rainforests' Vulnerability to Climate and Human Impacts

For the first time, astronomers have uncovered evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of Jupiter's moon Ganymede.

Hubble Finds First Evidence of Water Vapor at Jupiter's Moon Ganymede

Hubble Finds First Evidence of Water Vapor at Jupiter's Moon Ganymede

Artificial intelligence is being used to calibrate NASA’s images of the Sun, helping improve the data scientists use for research.

Artificial Intelligence Helps Improve NASA's Eyes on the Sun

Artificial Intelligence Helps Improve NASA's Eyes on the Sun

NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for Earth’s first mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter's moon Europa.

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Europa Clipper Mission

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Europa Clipper Mission

The lander’s seismometer is revealing details about the planet’s deep interior for the first time.

NASA's InSight Reveals the Deep Interior of Mars

NASA's InSight Reveals the Deep Interior of Mars

Beta Pictoris is an intriguing young planetary system that sports at least two planets, a jumble of smaller, rocky bodies, and a dusty disk.

NASA's Webb to Explore a Neighboring, Dusty Planetary System

NASA's Webb to Explore a Neighboring, Dusty Planetary System