Saturn in Infrared
This image was obtained with the Gemini North telescope near-infrared light using the Altair adaptive optics system. Altair corrects, in real-time, most of the distortions caused by turbulence in Earth's atmosphere. In this near-infrared image, the body of Saturn appears to be blue and its rings glow a neon pink. At the perimeter of Saturn's ring the F-ring is faintly visible. Saturn's large moon Titan is also visible at the bottom of the image. And in fact a storm appears to be brewing near its equator. Several small moons are also visible in the image.
| Observatory: | Gemini Observatory (North) Mauna Kea, Hawai'i |
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| Telescope: | Gemini North |
| Instrument: | NIRI+Altair |
| Astronomer: | Gemini Observatory and Henry Roe (Lowell Observatory), Emily Schaller (Insitute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii) and T. A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) |
| Date of Observation: | 05-07-2009 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | K' [2.0-2.1 microns] (blue), h210 [2.12 micron narrowband] (green), and bracket gamma[2.17 micron narrowband] (red) |
| Exposure Times: | N/A |
| Location of Image: | Solar System |
| Field of View: | 40 x 40 arcsec |
| Orientation: | North is up, East is to the left |
| Link to Larger Image | |
| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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