1.4 billion km away, NASA's billion-dollar ship sent back a mysterious photo that surprised the scientific world

Conquering space, discovering new lands far away has long been the dream of man. Over the years, it is clear that many people have been working hard to realize this dream. With the development of science and technology, people have the motivation to go to distant places. Therefore, the exploration of outer space becomes more and more convenient and happens more often.

In addition, thanks to more and more means to support the conquest of space, such as research and development of tools such as spacecraft, robotic probes, etc., people's understanding of space has increased. become more comprehensive.

Mysterious photo reveals the truth about Earth

Humans also began to explore other planets in the universe. But there is a photo sent back by a spacecraft from space 1.4 billion km away that makes experts surprised and smile after seeing it. What is that?

This color image was taken by NASA's Cassini probe while up to 1.4 billion kilometers from Earth in July 2013. This spacecraft captured a special moment of Earth while flying close to Saturn.

Photo of Earth from Saturn.

Saturn is the second largest planet in diameter in the Solar System, and is second only to Jupiter in mass.

Saturn is classified as a gas giant because it is mostly gaseous and has no definite surface. The main component of this planet is hydrogen.

Although Saturn has always been in the solar system and humans have known of its existence for a long time. But our understanding of this very remote and complex planet has only been in recent decades.

On October 15, 1997, NASA's Cassini spacecraft was launched into space with the mission to probe Saturn and its moons. This is a joint project of the world's leading space agencies, bringing together a huge number of personnel from 17 different countries, and is also the last space exploration of the twentieth century. This expedition gathered a huge amount of information, and at the same time revealed the truth about Saturn.

Cassini was the first rover to orbit Saturn and the fourth to visit the planet.

After passing Jupiter, in 2004, the Cassini spacecraft flew close to Saturn. To avoid being affected by gravity, the scientists adjusted until the ship was operating smoothly.

After a long wait, Cassini flew into the established orbit, reached Saturn, and began to explore the planet. In addition to taking on the responsibility of discovering Saturn, Cassini also has a mission, which is to take pictures of the Earth. Scientists from 17 countries participating in the Saturn exploration project are eagerly awaiting images from the Cassini spacecraft.

Earth is the only planet with life features that we find in the solar system. Even people once thought that Earth was the most special planet in the universe because creatures with signs of life all existed here. However, a photo taken by the Cassini spacecraft up to 1.4 billion kilometers from Earth has made scientists realize the truth.

The photo taken on July 19, 2013 can be considered the first photograph of Earth at interplanetary distance. At a distance of 1.4 billion km, the rings of Saturn are very visible, while the Earth is only as small as a blob of light.

As soon as the photo was sent back, the scientists were surprised and smiled. "It's amazing to know that Cassini can take pictures of our planet from so far away," said Linka Spilker, a scientist on the Cassini Project team, when she first saw this image.

What we thought of Earth as a giant planet turned out to be very different. The photo is also a reminder to us that Earth, our blue planet, is small in the vast universe.

Cassini – a $3.3 billion ship and a 20-year mission

Cassini is named after Giovanni Cassini, the astronomer who discovered Saturn's four moons and a void in the distant planet's rings.

Cassini spacecraft.

According to Independent, Cassini is considered one of NASA's most memorable spacecraft. The mission of this special spacecraft is also considered one of the most successful space exploration projects.

After being launched from Earth on October 15, 1997, Cassini provided a wealth of information about Saturn.

Because Cassini ran out of fuel and prevented Cassini from crashing into two moons (Titan and Enceladus) orbiting Saturn, which could support life, NASA was forced to stop the mission of this spacecraft.

On September 15, 2017, the Cassini spacecraft crashed into Saturn for the last time and burned up in the planet's atmosphere. This is indeed a regretful ending for a historic ship worth 3.3 billion USD. During the "suicide" journey, this spacecraft still points its antenna towards Earth and sends back valuable data.

During its 20-year mission, the Cassini spacecraft has provided astounding numbers.

According to Professor of Astrophysics Mathew Owens at the University of Reading (UK), the Cassini spacecraft detected six moons and took up to 500,000 images, returning nearly a terabyte of data to serve as the basis for more than 4,000 scientific studies. This was a hugely successful mission for all involved and involved.

Astronomer Marek Kukula at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: "The Cassini spacecraft has completely changed our understanding of Saturn by delivering stunning images of clouds, Saturn's rings and moon, and allows us to feel as though we're on it with a spacecraft."

Astronomer Marek Kukula thinks the Cassini mission is a great adventure. In particular, the achievements of this mission will still be mentioned decades later.