Below lay the sunlit surface of Saturn divided into light and dark bands of enormous breadth.
The band immediately below them was of a brilliant silver-grey, very much like the central zone of Jupiter.

North of this on the one side stretched the long shadow of the rings, and southward other bands of alternating white and gold and deep purple succeeded each other till they were lost in the curvature of the vast planet.

The poles were of course invisible since the _Astronef_ was now too near the surface; but on their approach they had seen unmistakable evidence of snow and ice.
As soon as they were exactly under the Ring-arch, Redgrave shut off the R.Force, and, somewhat to their astonishment, the _Astronef_ began to revolve slowly on its axis, giving them the idea that the Saturnian System was revolving round them.

The arch seemed to sink beneath their feet while the belts of the planet rose above them.
"What on earth is the matter ?" said Zaidie.

"Everything has gone upside down." "Which shows," replied Redgrave, "that as soon as the _Astronef_ became neutral the rings pulled harder than the planet, I suppose because we're so near to them, and, instead of falling on to Saturn, we shall have to push up at him." "Oh yes, I see that," said Zaidie, "but after all it does look a little bit bewildering, doesn't it, to be on your feet one minute and on your head the next ?" "It is, rather; but you ought to be getting accustomed to that sort of thing now.