Two looks at Saturn and the darkened rings

Two views from Cassini above the dark - unilluminated by the sun - ringplane. The first is from about 18 degrees above it and the second from much higher, 52 degrees.

In the first, the rings are visible from the light scattering through them; in the second, the rings are so tenuous and faint they seem to be missing - only the dramatic shadows on the planet itself betray their presence. In the first photo the F ring shepherd moon Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) is faintly visible at the top, left of center; Pandora's brightness was increased by a factor of three to aid its visibility.