April 14, 2012
The same gravity that holds galaxies together and keeps planets in their orbits also held you to the Earth on the day you were born.
Six Moons of Saturn
Birthday · April 14, 2012
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APOD published April 14, 2012. Credit: Rafael Defavari. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
How many moons does Saturn have? So far 62 have been discovered, the smallest only a fraction of a kilometer across. Six of its largest satellites can be seen here, though, in a sharp Saturnian family portrait taken on March 9. Larger than Earth's Moon and even slightly larger than Mercury, Titan has a diameter of 5,150 kilometers and starts the line-up at the lower left. Continuing to the right across the frame are Mimas, Tethys, [Saturn], Enceladus, Dione, and Rhea at far right. Saturn's first known natural satellite, Titan was discovered in 1655 by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, while most recently the satellite provisionally designated S/2009 S1 was found by the Cassini Imaging Science Team in 2009. Tonight, Saturn reaches opposition in planet Earth's sky, offering the best telescopic views of the ringed planet and moons.
Image credit: Rafael Defavari