Voyager: Saturn's spinning ring
These images of Saturn's rings spinning gently around the planet were taken by Voyager 2 in 1981. Its twin, Voyager 1, had passed the gas giant a few months earlier.
The two craft greatly increased our knowledge of the second largest planet in the Solar System; revealing, amongst other things, that Saturn's atmosphere is largely made up of hydrogen and helium.
Incredible wind speeds, up to 500 metres a second (1640ft), were also recorded near the planet's equator.
26 Feb 2013
- From the section Science & Environment