Cassini spots 'bands of bright clouds' drifting across Saturn's moon Titan

New Delhi: NASA's probe Cassini has returned yet another spectacular views taken from above the surface of one of Saturn's largest moon Titan.

On May 7, 2017, Cassini spacecraft captured this view of bands of bright, feathery methane clouds drifting across Saturn's Titan as it passed above the moon's surface.

The dark regions at top of the image are Titan's hydrocarbon lakes and seas.

NASA has released the image in two versions - one with stronger enhancement (figure A) and one with much softer enhancement (figure B). See PIA21610 for another view of these clouds.

The view, obtained at a distance of 316,000 miles (508,000 kilometers), was taken during a distant (non-targeted) flyby when Cassini passed 303,000 miles (488,000 kilometers) above Tintan's surface.

Although Cassini will have no further close, targeted flybys of Titan, the spacecraft continues to observe the giant moon and its atmosphere from a distance.