Spokes on Side of Saturn's Rings

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Spokes are seen on the unlit side of Saturn's rings for the first time in this Voyager 2 wide-angle view obtained Aug. 28 from a distance of 3.4 million kilometers (2.1 million miles). In order to bring out the very faint detail in the B ring, the image was specially processed for the spokes and thus does not show the true relative brightness of the other rings. The spokes are visible as bright wedge-shaped and tilted features in the outer half of the B ring (center of image). A time-lapse sequence to be taken later this week will help resolve the question about whether the spokes are forming on the dark side of the rings or are lit-side features seen through the rings. The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.