Saturn's rings shows Cassini's daring descent into the planet's icy halo

Saturn's rings shows Cassini's daring descent into the planet's icy halo

Late last night, Nasa's Cassini spacecraft started a series of 20 orbits high above and below Saturn's poles. Plunging just past the outer edge of the main rings, the orbits will mark the last phase of Cassini's mission.

While it passes through Saturn's famous rings, Cassini will collect samples of particles and gases and get the best view yet of the tiny, hard-to-spot moons found near the rings.

'We're about to see Saturn like never before,' Tweeted Nasa's JPL Education Office.

After this, Cassini will swoop down through the outer edge of rings every seven days.

Instruments on board the spacecraft will take direct samples of particles in the rings and molecules of gases found close by.

Full article from Dailymail