Saturn backlit by the sun
This photo is from The Edge (see this link for a much larger version), and depicts Saturn backlit by the sun, as taken by the Cassini satellite. Steven Pinker writes:
One of these days, Edge may want to run this photo, which planetary scientist Carolyn Porco, leader of the Imaging Team for the Cassini mission to Saturn, showed us at the TED Conference: Saturn backlit by the sun, with the Earth appearing as a tiny dot in upper left (shown in the inset blowup). It is not only perhaps the most stunning photograph ever taken, but the fact that it has not appeared on the cover of Time, New York Times, etc., is a sign of our culture's indifference to science. This is truly awe-inspiring — not just visually beautiful, but a mind-boggling technical achievement, and a way to depict the finiteness and fragility of the planet in a way that we haven’t experienced since the famous "Earthrise" photo from the Apollo program in the late 1960s.
Labels: Science
posted by Dennis Mangan @ 9:04 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Pinker, quit whining like a girl. And I suppose the fact that art galleries aren't full of fractals is a sign of our culture's indifference to mathematics?
Humans are social animals who are primarily interested in other humans.
I can see Pinker's point: this is an amazing achievement, arguably a high-water mark of human endeavor, and nobody seems to care very much. Yes, humans generally are much more interested in other humans - for example Paris Hilton or Anna Nicole Smith - but given all that we might be paying attention to instead, that's rather disappointing.
I'm not sure why you find this picture impressive, it looks fake unlike the pictures from Hubble. It is not likely to engage people who are'nt space experts.
This image is spectacular. But I'm not sure if I agree that this image should be ranked next to the famous Blue Marble and Earthrise Apollo photos.
But Yeti, I don't think there is any need to insult Pinker. He has some very valid points, this image should probably be getting more attention and it's underexposure (haha, I made a pun) is very likely a result of an undereducated public.
what are all those wispy things surrounding Saturn? Is that just a lense effect, solar gas, or is it just where the rings fade into space?
Fallingstar
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