The 素晴らしい images that show the incredible colours of the changing seasons on Saturn

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Saturn as we 一般に see it: 航空宇宙局's most 詳細（に述べる）d images yet (below) can show us the colour 多様制 as seasons sweep the 惑星

Amazing images: 巨人, Saturn's largest moon, 対策 3,200 miles, or 5,150 キロメーターs, across and is larger than the 惑星 水銀柱，温度計

Artist's 概念: What 巨人 might look like from the surface - a rocky world with liquid lakes

巨人 is of 広大な／多数の／重要な 利益／興味 to scientists because it has a 相当な, active atmosphere and コンビナート／複合体, Earth-like 過程s that 形態／調整 its surface.

The moon is enveloped by an orange 煙霧 of 自然に produced 光化学スモッグ that frustratingly obscured its surface 事前の to Cassini's arrival.

Since 2004, the 宇宙船's 観察s have taken the 熟考する／考慮する of this unique world into a whole new dimension.

Cassini has 明らかにする／漏らすd that 巨人's surface is 形態／調整d by rivers and lakes of liquid ethane and methane (the main 構成要素 of natural gas), which forms clouds and occasionally rains from the sky as water does on Earth.

勝利，勝つd sculpt 広大な 地域s of dark, 炭化水素-rich dunes that girdle the moon's 赤道 and low latitudes.

Volcanism may occur 同様に, but with liquid water as the 溶岩.

On its 旅行 to Saturn, Cassini carried the European-built Huygens 調査（する）. On Jan. 14, 2005, Huygens 達成するd humankind's first 上陸 on a 団体／死体 in the Outer Solar System when it パラシュート（で降下する）d through 巨人's murky skies.

Huygens took 測定s of atmospheric composition and 勝利，勝つd 速度(を上げる）s during its decent, along with an incredible 一連の images showing telltale patterns of 腐食 by fl 借りがあるing liquid.

The 調査（する） （機の）カム to 残り／休憩（する） on what appeared to be a floodplain, surrounded by 一連の会議、交渉／完成するd cobbles of water ice.

As the Cassini 使節団 進歩s, the 宇宙船 will 監視する 巨人's atmosphere and surface for 調印するs of seasonal change.

The 宇宙船's レーダ and camera systems will continue to peer through the 煙霧, 拡大するing our high 決意／決議 地図／計画するs of the surface.

And scientists will 熱望して を待つ new data that could 確認する the presence of a liquid ocean beneath the 巨大（な） moon's surface.

The 探検 of this amazing place is just beginning. Frigid and 外国人, yet also remarkably 類似の to our own 惑星, 巨人 is a new world ? 明らかにする／漏らすd before our very 注目する，もくろむs by the Cassini and Huygens 宇宙船.

BET THEY HAD A BETTER SUMMER THAN US: THE SEASONS OF SATURN REVEALED BY CASSINI

Some of these 見解（をとる）s, such as those of the polar vortex, are only possible because Cassini's newly inclined - or 攻撃するd - 軌道s 許す more direct 見解（をとる）ing of the polar 地域s of Saturn and its moons.

Upon Cassini's arrival at Saturn eight years ago, Saturn's northern winter 半球 was an azure blue.

Now that winter is encroaching on the 惑星's southern 半球 and summer on the north, the color 計画／陰謀 is 逆転するing: blue is 色合いing the southern atmosphere and is fading from the north.

Other images 描写する the newly discovered south polar vortex in the atmosphere of 巨人, 報告（する）／憶測d recently by Cassini scientists.< /p>

Saturn in all its glory: This image, taken in October 2004, shows the 十分な 規模 of the 惑星, 含むing its 影をつくる／尾行する stretching across the （犯罪の）一味s

Cassini's 明白な-light cameras have seen a 集中 of yellowish 煙霧 in the detached 煙霧 層 at the south 政治家 of 巨人 since March 27.

Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer spotted the 集まりing of clouds around the south 政治家 as 早期に as May 22 in infrared wavelengths.

After a June 27 flyby of the moon, Cassini 解放（する）d a 劇の image and movie showing the vortex 回転／交替ing faster than the moon's rotation period. The four images 存在 解放（する）d today were acquired in May, June and July of 2012.

Scientists are looking 今後 to seeing more of the same - new phenomena like 巨人's south polar vortex and changes wrought by the passage of time and seasons - during the 残りの人，物 of Cassini's 使節団.

Carolyn Porco, imaging team lead based at the Space Science 学校／設ける in 玉石, Colo, said: 'Cassini has been in 軌道 now for the last eight years, and des 炭坑，オーケストラ席 the fact that we can't know 正確に／まさに what the next five years will show us, we can be 確かな that whatever it is will be wondrous.'

Amanda Hendrix, 副 事業／計画（する） scientist, based at 航空宇宙局's Jet Propulsion 研究室／実験室 in Pasadena, California, said: 'It is so fantastic to experience, through the 器具s of Cassini, seasonal changes in the Saturn system.

'Some of the changes we see in the data are 完全に 予期しない, while some occur like clockwork on a seasonal timescale. It's an exciting time to be at Saturn.'

Saturn's （犯罪の）一味s obscure part of 巨人's colorful visage in this image from 航空宇宙局's Cassini 宇宙船

航空宇宙局's Cassini 宇宙船 looks toward the night 味方する of Saturn's largest moon and sees sunlight scattering through the periphery of 巨人's atmosphere and forming a （犯罪の）一味 of colour

Saturn has countless moons - at least 24, with dozens if not a couple of hundred smaller 団体／死体s in 軌道. Seven of the moons are 相当な, and in this image three of them can be spotted