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Green LanternAnother glorious, backlit view of the planet Saturn and its rings has been captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, as seen in a picture released December 18.

On October 17, during its 174th orbit around the gas giant, Cassini was deliberately positioned within Saturn's shadow, "a perfect location from which to look in the direction of the sun and take a backlit view of the rings and the dark side of the planet," according to NASA.

(Related: "Ten Best Pictures From NASA's Cassini Probe—Saturn, More.")

Image courtesy Caltech/SSI/NASA

Space Pictures This Week: Green Lantern, Supersonic Star

A star sends out shock waves, Saturn is backlit by the sun, and the Milky Way lights up the Yosemite night in this week's best space pictures.

December 27, 2012