APOD 1.5 Saturn at Equinox

Every 15 years, Saturn's rings point in the direction of Earth and seem to disappear. This is caused by the fact that Saturn's rings are so thin and the Earth is so close to the sun that when the rings point in the direction of the sun, they appear so thin that they can't be seen. The amazing photo of Saturn at equinox was taken by the imaging satellite Cassini. No photos had ever been taken of Saturn's rings at equinox, but the development of technology has allowed for photos to finally be taken. The launching of satellites into the orbits of other planets has given us the ability to see many more images than we could from earth. The rings appear very dark and cast a small shadow on the surface of Saturn. These photos are truly stunning and could eventually help us understand the size of the components of Saturn's ring and the orbital motion of the rings.