Man with a Mission: Jean-Dominique Cassini.
Leila Belkora.
- Star Date, 2004.
- SIRS Enduring Issues 2005. Article 51, Science, 1522-3264; .
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2005. Originally Published: Man with a Mission: Jean-Dominique Cassini, May/June 2004; pp. 4-9.
"Saturn is almost everybody's favorite planet. It's not the only planet with a ring, but Saturn's ring is the most magnificent: bold and bright when we see it cocked toward us, yet incredibly fine and slender when viewed edge-on. Increasingly detailed photographs, from the Pioneer 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft to the present-day Cassini mission, have revealed the complexity of the ring system, with its waves, spokes, and shepherd satellites. The first to observe structure in this ring system--the prominent dark gap dividing the main ring--and one of the first to understand that the rings are not a solid entity, but are composed of particles, was Jean-Dominique Cassini." (STAR DATE) This article discusses astronomical studies of the 17th and 18th centuries, focusing on the Cassini family.