Just another stunning example of the beautiful compositions that arise from the combination of Saturn and its rings when you have a spacecraft that can view it from a variety of angles. With Saturn’s equinox approaching, the rings are getting dark, but it still makes a difference whether we are seeing the lit side (currently south) or the unlit side, as in the image below. The opaque B ring is completely dark, while the inner translucent C ring allows light through. Though we are seeing the night side of the planet (as can be seen from the shadow line of the planet on the rings, the Sun is to the left), the southern hemisphere is fairly well illuminated by light reflecting off the southern face of the rings. The northern hemisphere of the planet is much darker because it is only illuminated by light that makes it through the rings. The darkest line on the planet is the equator which gets virtually no light from the rings.
