Stix Blog: Image of the Day

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.... By Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

A democracy cannot survive as a permanent form of government. It can last only until its citizens discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority (who vote) will vote for those candidates promising the greatest benefits from the public purse, with the result that a democracy will always collapse from loose fiscal policies, always followed by a dictatorship.---Lord Thomas MacCauley

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April 25, 2008

Image of the Day

Bent Outta Shape

The Prometheus moon steals wispy material from Saturn's F ring, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft.

The irregular Saturnian moon acts as a gravitational tug that pulls away ring dust and debris onto different orbital paths and leaves an uneven pattern of kinks in the F ring. In that way Prometheus appears to live up to its namesake, who stole fire from the Greek Gods and gave it to humans.

The moon's sneaky activity is illuminated by both direct sunlight and reflected light from Saturn, captured by Cassini from 743,000 miles (1.2 kilometers) out. The "saturnshine" often brightens the night sides of Saturn's many moons.

VIDEO: Enceladus, Cold Faithful

IMAGES: Cassini's Latest Discoveries

Special Report: Cassini's Mission to Saturn

— NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute and SPACE.com Staff

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Return each weekday for a new SPACE.com Image of the Day.

Stix on April 25, 2008 at 05:11 PM in Space | Permalink

Technorati Tags: Prometheus, Saturn, Space

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