Subtle Color

The planet Saturn glows in subtle shades of tan, yellow, and ivory in this image from the Cassini spacecraft. The colors come from sulfur, ammonia, water, and other compounds in the atmosphere. Different chemicals form different bands of clouds, all of which completely encircle the giant planet. Saturn shines at its best in mid-April, when it lines up opposite the Sun in Earth's sky. It rises around sunset, climbs high across the sky during the night, and sets around sunrise. It looks like a bright golden star. [NASA/JPL/SSI]