Author: Sylvia Melvin

The atmosphere in our spacecraft was charged with excitement as I, along with a crew of four, drew closer to our destination. For three long years, we journeyed through this endless expanse of startling beauty. Lone specks of shimmering starlight stood out like diamonds cast upon black velvet.
At last, spinning in a void of eternal twilight, was Saturn—a cosmic jewel. Like a lighthouse casting its beams in the darkness for all travelers, this planet beckoned us onward. We approached reverently, for its size and splendor commanded it. Nothing we had ever seen or pictured, nor any of the data our computer compiled, had adequately prepared us for the reality of this experience. Almost ten times the size of Earth, Saturn occupies its place in the universe with nothing less than regal majesty. In comparison, our ship was a speck of dust. There was no stopping us now—no turning back. The lure of the unknown reached out its tentacles and held us in its grip.
Not only did the magnitude of Saturn overwhelmed us, but also the one characteristic that sets it apart from all other planets in our universe. An alabaster halo completely encircled this glowing sphere. Composed of whirling ice chunks that traveled in a circular orbit, it gave the impression that a giant neon- lit carousel was in constant motion.

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Piqued with an unquenchable curiosity, we cautiously approached this fluorescent ring. At first, the brilliance appeared to be an unknown circle; however, as we dove below the planet and looked up, no fewer than four rings were visible. Each band of opalescence was separated by a contrasting ribbon of darkness. As these frigid chunks spun past us, we noted that some were thick and opaque like common milk glass; others were much thinner and displayed a transparent, crystal-like quality.
As we dared to venture nearer, waves of tarnished gold cast a soft blush on the restless clouds that eddied above Saturn. Constantly in motion, this gigantic mass of hydrogen and helium blended light from the sun 890,700,000 miles away. A kaleidoscope of color paraded before our eyes.
As beautiful as a temptress, Saturn flaunted her wiles. It would have been so easy to fall victim to her beauty—to enter the pulse of her being. But we knew savage winds blew across her surface at nine hundred miles an hour. The beast in this beauty could not be tamed. We would have to be satisfied with the vision of loveliness this magnificent creation exhibited.
Increasing our speed in order to overcome the gravitational pull of Saturn, we gently arched into the trajectory that would lead us back to Earth. One thing was certain. We took back with us much more than we brought; we took the memory of a treasure found only in God’s own jewel box.