Since the summer of 2004, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has been parked in orbit around Saturn, observing the gorgeous ringed gas giant up close and even dropping off a European-built lander on its largest moon Titan.But as of Thursday, this workhorse orbiter has officially entered the last year of its life. On September 15, 2017, Cassini is scheduled to dive to its nebulous grave deep within the planet it has faithfully observed for over a decade.While this will no doubt be a sad parting to one of the most ambitious exploration missions in history, the good news is that Cassini is already gearing up to make its final observations among its most memorable and spectacular.Case in point: Here's a newly released timelapse of Saturn taken by the orbiter over a 44-hour period, equivalent to four Saturnian days, in April of this year.Visible in the video are some of Saturn's rotating storms, as well as the enormous hexagonal jet stream that dominates the planet's north pole. Even the shadows that the rings cast on the giant's swirling surface gas clouds are visible. It's a startling and distant view that contrasts magnificently with some of Cassini's famous close-ups.Naturally, the timelapse also sparked a healthy debate in the comment section over whether Saturn is the most beautiful planet in the solar system or if it is the "plainest" as one Jupiter-reppin' YouTuber attests.Regardless of which planet should win the Miss Solar System beauty pageant—hint: Earth, duh—Cassini has proven yet again that it knows how to shoot Saturn from all the best angles.
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