The outer reaches of the Cassini Division merge with the inner A ring (at right) in a region that is rich in structure. For context, other Cassini views of this region are available (see PIA07512). The smooth region leading up to the A ring grows brighter from left to right (a “ramp” to ring scientists). This region contains a faint “double wave” structure that is a density feature caused by the influence of the co-orbital moons Janus and Epimetheus. Scientists are interested in observing the evolution of this density wave as the moons swap places in their orbits every few years, presumably resulting in a change in the perturbations that cause this feature. The image was taken in visible light with the narrow angle camera on Sept. 5, 2005, from a distance of approximately 441,000 kilometers (274,000 miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel.

PIA 07616 Avg Rating: 10/10

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