Visiting Saturn

He could hardly have imagined that someday we would be exploring Saturn in his name. It's an understatement to say that much has changed in the three hundred or so years since the Italian-French astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini (1625-1712) gazed upon Saturn's rings and was credited with discovering four of the planet's two dozen moons. But as NASA launches the planetary probe named in his honor, it's testimony that -- three centuries later -- some things remain the same, specifically humankind's fascination with Saturn and our celestial neighbors.

Italian-French Astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini. Image Credit: Paris Observatory.