NOVA · Season 46 · Episode 15

“The Planets: Saturn”

Aired Thursday 8 August 2019

Over the past 40 years, a handful of space probes has given us glimpses of Saturn. But NASA's Cassini, which explored the gas giant's realm for 13 years looping through its icy rings and flying by its moons, delivered the most breathtaking new insights. The probe captured stunning ring-moon interactions. NOVA takes you inside Cassini's epic journey as it makes astonishing discoveries: Saturn's rings are younger than the dinosaurs and may be remnants of an ice moon. And geysers erupting ice and gas on the moon Enceladus show that it could have all the ingredients for life. But to protect it, the Cassini mission team makes a bittersweet decision.

S46 E15 discussion