Voyager 1 Images of Saturn's Ring System
(November 1980)

The A and B Rings (Color GIF, 204 Kbytes).

This enhanced color image shows the outer half of Saturn's main ring system. The dark Cassini Division near the middle divides the outer A Ring from the B Ring. The Cassini Division was once thought to be empty, but this view shows that it contains several fainter ring structures. The most prominent structure in the A Ring is the Encke Gap, about 1/3 way from the ring's outer edge. This gap is "shepherded". open by the tiny embedded moon Pan. The B Ring is more densely packed with material than the A Ring (i.e., higher in optical depth) so it shows up as brighter in this image at a low phase angle. Several faint "spokes" are visible as dark streaks across the B Ring. Much better images of the B Ring's spokes were acquired by Voyager 2 about nine months later. At lower right, you can see the outer tip of the much fainter C Ring.

Looking Back at Saturn's Rings

This image, in enhanced color, was taken by Voyager 1 looking back at Saturn after the encounter, from about 1.5 million km. At this high phase angle, the dusty F Ring comes into view; it is the very narrow and somewhat clumpy ringlet just outside the main rings. A diffuse, spoke is seen crossing the brightest part of the B Ring; in this lighting geometry the spokes Ring appear bright rather than dark, suggesting that they are made of fine dust. The innermost C Ring is darker than the others due both to darker particles and fewer of them; its characteristic banded appearance is quite different from the A and B Rings, but similar to the structure in the Cassini Division (the dark area between the A and B Rings. The C Ring's brightness increases toward the left due to increased illumination from Saturn's lit face.

The Rings in Forward-Scattered Light

As the phase angle increases, the dusty F Ring and the spokes get brighter and brighter. This is Voyager 1 image FDS 34956.55.

The Dark Side of the A and B Rings

The contrast of the rings reverses when you look at their unlit face. Very little light manages to scatter through the dense and optically thick B Ring (at right), so it appears much darker than the others. The Cassini Division is brightest of all, because light has an easy time scattering through this faint cloud of material. False color has been used in this image to enhance subtle variations in the color (and therefore the composition) of the ring material.

The Dark Side of the B and C Rings

This image is very similar to the one above, but the point of view is shifted inward to show the B and C Rings. The C Ring is optically thin so sunlight scatters through it easily, making it brighter than the B Ring in this lighting geometry. Viewing the ring's unlit face, something can appear dark for one of two reasons, either because it is nearly opaque (like the B Ring at left) or because it is almost completely transparent (like the region inside the C Ring at right). In the former case there is too much material for light to leak through, whereas in the latter case there is no material to scatter the light. Enhanced false color has been used to show subtle color variations in the rings.

Optical Depth of the Rings

This Voyager image shows the rings passing in front of the planet. As a result, you can see which rings are opaque (optically thick) and which are transparent (optically thin). Part of the middle B Ring obscures the planet completely, while the planet easily shines through the fainter, inner C Ring.

Closeup of the "Braided" F Ring

This closeup view of Saturn's F Ring is from Voyager 1 image FDS 34930.48. It shows that the ring is composed of two bright strands and a fainter one inside them. The bright rings contain bends, kinks and bright clumps that give the illusion that these strands are braided. These features may be caused by the small gravitational effects of the nearby shepherding moons Pandora and Prometheus. The grid of black dots in the image are reseau markings.

Rings and Mimas

This striking image was taken looking across the dark side of Saturn's rings, with Mimas in the background. The narrow F Ring is visible outside the A and B Rings.

Last updated Feb-27-1997