Infrared Image of Saturn's Rings - Although it may look to our eyes like other images of the rings, this infrared image of Saturn's rings was taken with a special filter that will only admit light polarized in one direction. Scientists can use these images to learn more about the nature of the particles that make up Saturn's rings. The bright spot in the rings is the "opposition surge" where the Sun-Ring-Spacecraft angle passes through zero degrees. Ring scientists can also use the size and magnitude of this bright spot to learn more about the surface properties of the ring particles. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 18, 2013, using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 705 nanometers. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute #nasa #iotd #cassini #science #saturn #spacecraft #solarsystem #planets #infrared #sun #solar