The Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn turned its camera back towards Earth on July 19*, giving Earthlings a new view of our home planet. Dubbed The Day the Earth Smiled, it was a time to focus on Saturn with telescope viewing and other activities.
In collaboration with Cassini's imaging team leader, Carolyn Porco, Astronomers Without Borders gathered photos of Saturn, not as big telescopes see it but as ordinary people do. Pictures captured Saturn as a "star" in the sky along with the observers' surroundings, observing activities, people posing with a photo or model of Saturn, and more, all in celebration of The Day the Earth Smiled.
The images were used to create a mosaic of Saturn as it was expected look in the new Cassini prortrait -- an image composed of Saturn-related photos from around the world celebrating this historic event.
Below is the completed AWB Saturn Mosaic! Click or use the controls below to zoom and pan to see the individual photos that make up this mosaic.
The AWB Saturn Mosaic and zoomable image were created by The World at Night.
Special thanks to Shahob Saghri (TWAN web developer).
Can you find the team that brings you Cassini's images in the AWB Saturn Mosaic? Below is a photo from the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS) showing the CICLOPS staff members who are based in Boulder, Colorado, and Imaging Team leader Carolyn Porco. These are the people behind the incredible images from Cassini, including the unprecedented, advance-notice July 19, 2013 image of Earth from Saturn!
Above are the CICLOPS team members based in Boulder, Colorado, USA (l to r): Bobby DiDia, Michael Belanger, Steve Mullins, Carolyn Porco, Saturn and Earth from Cassini, Josh Riley, Colin Mitchell
Above is the image from Cassini that made the Earth smile. Click for more on this historic image including larger and annotated versions Earth and the Moon appear below and to the right of the planet, just below the rings. The AWB Saturn Mosaic -- composed of submitted photos of Saturn from Earth -- was based on a simulation of what this image was expected to look like.
The AWB Saturn Mosaic and zoomable image were created by The World at Night.
See The Day the Earth Smiled for more on this historic event.
*19 July UTC but 20 July local time in some parts of the world.
Astronomers Without Borders is a global astronomy community. Astronomy enthusiasts, educators, and others around the world participate in programs that create interaction and cooperation through common interests in all aspects of astronomy including observing, outreach, the arts in astronomy and more.
