NASA Cassini's last images of Saturn are stunning! [Probe Fall Analysis]

A lone wanderer, exploring the splendor of Saturn, its rings and moons, having spent a total of 20 years in space. Starting October 15th, 1997, it voyaged on a long-duration 7-year journey, and on June 30th, 2004, Cassini reached Saturn and went into orbit around the gas giant. For many years, astronomers around the world eagerly awaited the discoveries of the Automatic Interplanetary Station. These were photographs of the numerous icy moons, dramatic photographs of the rings and the unearthly patterns of the ever-changing and turbulent storms. A massive amount of data about the nature of a corner of the Solar System far from us. But when the fuel reserves were running low on April 26th, 2017, Cassini was assigned to carry out several last-ditch instructions to plunge between the rings of Saturn and the planet itself 22 times and then, in order to safeguard the moons from danger on which there may be components of life. The craft was to become one with this amazing planet forever. The project's engineers sent Cassini into the interior of the gas giant, and it kept its antenna pointed toward the Earth to the very end, transmitting its farewell words to the people of Earth. On September 15th, 2017, Cassini disappeared forever into the clouds of Saturn. Heartland towards its death, Cassini, even while breaking up, continued to function, each of its devices diligently transmitting data as the craft burned up in the atmosphere. The heart of the station ceased to beat when the scientists pick up its last signal. It managed to accomplish all the maneuvers peerlessly. But what did it tell us in its grand finale, which lasted from April to September 2017? For more than 13 years, Cassini was our eyes and ears in the Saturn system. The planet has 82 moons, rings consisting of ice and stone particles. And what is more, it is impossible to accurately count the number of rings. Because when the images that were taken at close range on the final flights are enlarged, you can see how they are divided into smaller ones, as though infinite. Astronomers sometimes refer to Saturn as a miniature solar system, because its many moons resemble planets, and the rings, the asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt. Cassini fell through Saturn's atmosphere at a speed of 124,000 km per hour. I wouldn't have wanted to be on top of the space probe at that moment. After all, no one knew how long it would last, since the study of the interior of planet had not been the original intention of the scientists. Finding itself under the rings, Cassini snapped as many images of Saturn's clouds from as close as possible. But most of all, scientists were astounded by the giant hexagon, a huge hexagonal vortex. And more than that, one side of this hexagon is equal to the diameter of the Earth. It is present only at the north pole of the planet, is comprised of thousands of smaller vortices, and in the very center of the hexagon is a giant funnel that goes deep into the bowels of Saturn for several hundred kilometers. The hexagon itself, depending upon the season, also changes color. It can be greenish, golden or blue, but the hexagon's shape remains stable and has lasted for hundreds of years. The seasons on Saturn change as on Earth due to the tilt of the planet's axis. When Saturn's north pole is tilted towards the Sun, it receives more light. The sunlight interacts with the atmosphere and forms particulate matter, aerosols. It resembles smog, therefore it tints the hexagon with a golden-orange color. And when Saturn turns away from the Sun for the winter, the hexagon darkens. The central funnel is always a dark blue, regardless of the season, probably due to the fact that a mist of aerosol particles is drawn in there like a vacuum cleaner. The symmetrical shape of the hexagon is due to the interaction of the planet's rotation and atmospheric currents. At the end of its mission, during the closest approach, Cassini transmitted photographs of these roaming vortices one after another in excellent quality. But how old are the rings? Have they existed since the birth of the planet itself? Or did they appear recently? At the end of its mission, Cassini gave us the answer to this question. We were very fortunate not to miss out on this marvel of nature. They are only 10 to 100 million years old. And it is possible that at the end of the time of the dinosaurs on Earth, Saturn was not yet the lord of the rings, as they are too light and too bright. If they were ancient, they would have already long ago become covered with dust and turned much darker. Apparently, Saturn pulled an icy moon like Enceladus towards itself and its gravity destroyed it, tearing it into small pieces. They were dispersed into orbit, constantly colliding with each other, as a result of which they were shattered into small fragments and the sharp corners between them became smoothed out like pebbles on the seashore. Cassini showed that the thickness of the rings varies extremely. There are millions of rings and between them there may be gaps, but the rings themselves look like a vinyl record. The only thing we need to do is to find an interplanetary scale record player. Yes, Cassini has died, but its legacy lives on and still excites. The final images of the hexagon, the discovery of freezing rain, the study of the appearing and disappearing vortices and the discovery of Shepard satellites showed us that Saturn is a single system. Yes, by looks it seems beautiful and at the same time harsh, but this is an incredible world where everything is well balanced, from a small curl in the atmosphere to the finest specks of dust in the rings. Saturn is a unique creation of nature and Cassini showed us that the whole world of this giant planet rests on the delicate balance of gravity. Only unity and harmony could have created such a true masterpiece in the universe. These were Cassini's final words.