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Jean-Dominique Cassini: Astrology to astronomy

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Cassini discovered the Saturnian satellites Lapetus in 1671, Rhea in 1672, and both Tethys and Dione in 1684. In 1675 he discovered what is now known today as the Cassini Division - Saturn's rings are split largely into two parts by a narrow gap and that the rings were in fact swarms of tiny moonlets too small to be seen individually.

Credits: Observatoire de Paris

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Cassini's Sun calendar in the Basilica of San Petronio

In this Sun calendar, a hole in the ceiling of the cathedral projects a shaft of sunlight onto this bronze strip on the pavement below which is engraved with the days of the year and signs of the zodiac. The Basilica of San Petronio is in Bologna, Italy.

Credits: Calter Photo

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Huygens probe is mated with the Cassini orbiter

The Huygens probe is integrated with the Cassini Saturn orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The completed spacecraft left the PHSF on 28 August 1997 and was mated with its Titan 4B/Centaur launch vehicle on Cape Canaveral's pad 40.

Credits: ESA

Last update: 18 June 2009

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