Ring-a-ding-ding! 🪐 This image of Saturn was captured by the Cassini spacecraft while it orbited about 700,000 miles (1.1 million kilometers) from the planet in 2007. The changing length of the shadow marks the passing of the seasons on Saturn. As the planet slowly neared its equinox which occurred in 2009, the ring-casted shadows slid further south. Saturn's equinoxes occur approximately every 15 Earth years, with the next one expected on May 6, 2025. As Saturn approaches its equinox, the point in a planet's orbit where the Sun shines directly overhead at the equator, its rings become mainly illuminated by the sunlight which reflects off the planet’s surface. Hence, the section of the rings illuminated by planetshine are much brighter than the section of the rings illuminated by direct sunlight. Image description: Saturn and its rings. The creamy browns of Saturn and its rings stand out against the darkness of space. Most of the planet’s rings are illuminated except a lone se...