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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 February 23
    The planet Saturn is seen very close up. The clouds are tinted beige
     and tan, while parts of rings are seen at the top and bottom of the
   image. At the north pole of Saturn at the top, a blue-tinted hexagon is
     visible. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                       Saturn in Infrared from Cassini
      Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SSI; Processing: Maksim Kakitsev

   Explanation: Saturn looks slightly different in infrared light. Bands
   of clouds show great structure, including long stretching storms. Also
   quite striking in infrared is the unusual hexagonal cloud pattern
   surrounding Saturn's North Pole. Each side of the dark hexagon spans
   roughly the width of our Earth. The hexagon's existence was not
   predicted, and its origin and likely stability remain a topics of
   research. Saturn's famous rings circle the planet and cast shadows
   below the equator. The featured image was taken by the robotic Cassini
   spacecraft in 2014 in several infrared colors. In 2017 September, the
   Cassini mission was brought to a dramatic conclusion when the
   spacecraft was directed to dive into the ringed giant.

     Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                        Tomorrow's picture: lava sky
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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