Although Pioneer 11 holds the distinction of taking the first close-up image of Saturn (left, with its largest moon Titan also in the frame), the superior resolution afforded by the Voyager probes (right, seen with moons Tethys, Dione, and Rhea to the lower right, while Mimas appears as a dim shadow just beneath the rings on the left) uncovered details previously unimagined by planetary scientists.

It’s not the best picture, but you’re looking at one of the first ever images of Saturn captured up close by NASA’s Pioneer 11. During its mission, Pioneer 11 passed just 20,000 km above the cloud tops of Saturn, and captured the first close-up images of Saturn.