As the year draws to a close, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has officially begun its dramatic "Ring-Grazing" orbits, skimming past the outer edges of Saturn's main ring structure. The initial close-up photos being beamed back to Earth are absolutely spectacular, revealing fine details, icy ripples, and miniature density waves inside the rings that we have never been able to resolve before.

It is a deeply bittersweet phase of the mission, though. These daring maneuvers are the opening act of Cassini's ultimate grand finale. Next year, the spacecraft will be intentionally guided into a destructive plunge directly into Saturn's crushing atmosphere to protect the pristine, potentially habitable moons like Enceladus from contamination. Cassini completely transformed our understanding of the Saturnian system, and these final close-ups are a magnificent parting gift.



Cassini Significant Events 12/14/16 – 12/27/16