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New moon of Saturn within the G ring: S/2008 S1

New moon of Saturn within the G ring: S/2008 S1
New moon of Saturn within the G ring: S/2008 S1 This series of images was captured by Cassini over a period of 10 minutes and follows the path of a newly discovered moonlet within Saturn's dusty G ring. The images were taken with long exposures, so background stars form streaks. At the same time, the ring was orbiting Saturn, so it is also streaked, but in the direction of orbital motion. Within the G ring in each image is a small streak of light: this is the reflected light of the moonlet S/2008 S1, now named Aegaeon. The images focus on an extremely tiny portion of the G ring, and when enlarged, show it at 7 kilometers per pixel. The moonlet itself is only about 500 meters across, far smaller than a single pixel in these images. NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI