Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: This close-up of the tops of Saturn's clouds was taken by the Voyager 1 robot spacecraft as it passed the giant planet in November 1980. Saturn's clouds are mostly composed of hydrogen and helium gas, but the small addition of other elements gives the clouds their colours. These colours have been computer enhanced in the above photograph. Usually the clouds are divided into just bands and belt, but the centre of this photograph shows the addition of a red oval cloud. The oval's origin remains a mystery, although its colour indicates that its composition is slightly different than surrounding clouds. A new spacecraft - Cassini - will visit Saturn and is currently scheduled for launch in 1997.