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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                   2025 April 29   
      The planet Saturn is shown many times down the composite image. The top   
      image was taken in 2020 and shows Saturn's rings very clearly, whereas   
      the bottom image was taken in 2025 and the rings are only visible as a   
       dark line across the planet. The six images show the progression year   
        by year. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                        Saturn's Rings Appear to Disappear   
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Natan Fontes   
      
      Explanation: Where are Saturn's ears? Galileo is credited, in 1610, as   
      the first person to see Saturn's rings. Testing out Lipperhey's   
      recently co-invented telescope, Galileo did not know what they were and   
      so called them "ears". The mystery deepened in 1612, when Saturn's ears   
      mysteriously disappeared. Today we know exactly what happened: from the   
      perspective of the Earth, Saturn's rings had become too thin to see.   
      The same drama plays out every 15 years because Saturn, like Earth,   
      undergoes tilt-driven seasons. This means that as Saturn goes around   
      the Sun, its equator and rings can tilt noticeably toward the Sun and   
      inner Solar System, making them easily visible, but from other orbital   
      locations will appear almost not at all. The featured picture from   
      Brasilia, Brazil shows a modern version of this sequence: the top   
      ring-dominated image was taken in 2020, while the bottom ring-obscure   
      image taken earlier in 2025.   
      
                Make Saturn's Rings Musical: Play them like a harp!   
                          Tomorrow's picture: smiling sky   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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