"Step aside, Captain Kirk…"

Isn’t this lovely?

The Cassini probe took the image yesterday.

From the team leader at CICLOPS — the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (Now that’s an acronym: they don’t make ’em like that any more…) — a pre-burn message:

“Anticipation is at its greatest. The pulse quickens, the mind races, the soul is grateful. It is a singular privilege to be standing on the threshold separating ignorance and knowing.

“…This is exploration at its finest and is precisely why we have come to this strange and far-away place.

“Step aside, Captain Kirk. This one belongs to us.”