CICLOPS: Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerationS
Saturn's F-ring and inner satellite

Saturn's F-ring and its inner shepherding satellite (1980S27) are pictured in this closeup Voyager 2 image acquired Aug. 25 from a range of 365,000 kilometers (227,000 miles). Features as small as 6 km. (3.7 mi.) across are visible.

The satellite is elongated and irregular, with its longest axis pointing toward the center of Saturn (toward the upper right in this view). As seen here, the F-ring is thin and does not show the multiple, braided structure Voyager 1 saw last fall. Nor is there any indication of a band or kink in the ring at its closest point to the shepherd; such a feature would be consistent with some of the theories advanced on the formation of the braids.

The Voyager Project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Acquired: August 1981 		  Saturn's F-ring and inner satellite
PIA 01951

Full Size 520x350:
JPEG 95 KB
PNG 89 KB
TIFF 51 KB