Southern hemisphere and rings beyond

On Jan. 31, 2007 at a distance of approximately 979,000 kilometers (608,000 miles) from Saturn, Cassini captures a spectacular view of Saturn's banded southern hemisphere and dark central polar storm, while its dazzling rings lie far beyond the horizon. Compare with this earlier view, from a different angle, of the south pole with rings just barely visible and the storm, like a bullseye, on the edge of the oncoming night.