Taken on 6 July by the international Cassini mission, this is one of the highest-resolution colour images of any part of Saturn’s rings, to date. It shows a portion of the inner-central part of the planet’s B Ring. The view is a mosaic of two images that show a region that lies between 98 600 and 105 500 km from Saturn’s centre. This image is a natural colour composite, created using images taken with red, green and blue spectral filters. The pale tan colour is generally not perceptible with the naked eye in telescope views, especially given that Saturn has a similar hue. The material responsible for bestowing this colour on the rings – which are mostly water ice and would otherwise appear white – is a matter of intense debate among scientists that will hopefully be settled by new in situ observations before the end of Cassini’s mission. See https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21628
