New photos of Mars and Saturn from Hubble

This image shows the recent observations of the planets Mars and Saturn made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team, and J. DePasquale (STScI); Mars: NASA, ESA, and STScI

This summer of 2018, the planets of Mars and Saturn are in opposition, presenting an opportunity to view them closely and in greater detail, Hubble Space Telescope goals was to was to study not only distant astronomical objects, but also the planets within our Solar System, the opposition for Saturn was on 27 June and for Mars is on 27 July. 

Saturno el 6 de junio de 2018 cuando estaba aproximadamente at 1,4 billones de kilómetros de la Tierra. Crédito: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team, and J. DePasquale (STScI)

A month before Saturn’s opposition (on 6 June) Hubble was used to observe the ringed planet at approximately 1.4 billion kilometres from Earth, taking these images showing Saturn’s magnificent ring system near its maximum tilt toward Earth, managing to capture images of six of Saturn’s 62 currently known moons: Dione, Enceladus, Tethys, Janus, Epimetheus, and Mimas. 

Imagen compuesta tomada por el Telescopio Espacial de la NASA/ESA Hubble tomada el 6 de junio de 2018 y que muestra a síes de sus 62 lunas conocidas. Crédito: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team, and J. DePasquale (STScI)

Also the orbiting telescope was able to capture portrait, of the planet Mars, on 18 July, just 13 days before Mars reached its closest approach to Earth, in previous images showed detailed surface features of the planet, however due to a massive sandstorm the features are slightly blurred by the dust in the atmosphere. But still visible are the white polar caps, Terra Meridiani, the Schiaparelli Crater, and Hellas Basin. 

Mars observed only 13 days before the planet made its closest approach to Earth in 2018. Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI

Sources: Hubble, ESA, NASA, Wikipedia,