View of Tethys, Titan Obscured by Saturn's Rings

A view of the Saturnine moons Titan and Tethys taken from aboard the NASA Cassini orbiter appeared obscured when researchers decoded it. The photos was snapped just as one of the gas giant's rings was interposed between the spacecraft and the two moons.

In this view, Titan is seen to the left of the image, the larger of the two bodies, whereas Tethys occupies the center of it. The former is Saturn's largest moon, and also one of the main candidates for supporting life of any body in the solar system, except for Earth.

At 3,200 miles (5,150 kilometers) across, it is larger than the Moon. Tethys is sensibly smaller, boasting a diameter of only 660 miles (1,062 kilometers), say Cassini mission controllers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California.

Cassini has been orbiting Saturn since July 1, 2004. The amount of data it sent back to Earth on the gas giant, its rings and its moons is invaluable, and helped astronomers get a much deeper understanding of the solar system.