Crescent Saturn

From Earth, Saturn never shows a Crescent phase. But when viewed from a spacecraft the majestic gaint planet can show just a sunlit  slice. The image of the Crescent Saturn in nature colour was taken by the Robotic Cassini spacecraft in 2007. It captures Saturn's rings from the side of the ring plane opposite the Sun -- the unilluminated side -- another vista not visible from Earth. 

Visible are subtle colours of cloud bands, the complex shadows of the rings on the planet, and the shadow of the planet on the rings. The moon's Mimas, at 2 o'clock and Janus 4 o'clock, can be seen as a specks of light, but the real challenge is to find Pandora (8 o'clock ). From Earth, Saturn's disk is full now and opposite to the sun. Along with bright fellow giant planet Jupiter it rises in the early evening.