Saturn system

To see a hurricane grow on Earth, one's best view is from orbit. But on the windiest planet in the solar system, Saturnian clouds can gather to sizes greater than our tiny blue planet.

To see a hurricane grow on Earth, one's best view is from orbit. But on the windiest planet in the solar system, Saturnian clouds can gather to sizes greater than our tiny blue planet.

The Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn caught a glimpse of Tethys, a cratered, icy moon. Notable for Tethys are its split fissure and enormous crater, both of which leave the impression that its fragile surface is remaking itself slowly.

The natural beauty of Saturn's rings shine through when Cassini looks on the nearly-translucent, icy debris in color.

The Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn takes a wide-angle view of the ringed planet's extended moon system. These mostly icy moons have highly reflective, bright surfaces and tend to smooth over many impact scars when their frozen veneers heal.

The Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn takes a wide-angle view of the ringed planet's extended moon system. These mostly icy moons have highly reflective, bright surfaces and tend to smooth over many impact scars when their frozen veneers heal.

In the solar system, the second highest satellite tally is Saturn's. Before the Cassini mission, thirty-one moons were known--a number that has changed since the successful orbital insertion of the spacecraft.

In the solar system, the second highest satellite tally is Saturn's. Before the Cassini mission, thirty-one moons were known--a number that has changed since the successful orbital insertion of the spacecraft.

Saturn's satellite, Mimas, can be imaged from afar and imagined up close, but its striking resemblance to the fictional Death Star from Star Wars gives the most dramatic view of its violent past.

Planet-scale storms are best seen from far away, preferably from orbit. Hurricane Frances is no exception, but terrestrial storms are nothing compared to what shapes Saturn, the windiest place in our solar system.