Why pictures (or movies) of planets/moons taken by space probes are black&white not in colour?

These stunning black and white photographs look like the result of a particularly creative art project. But in fact they are part of a scientific mission - and they were captured not by an artist, but by a satellite orbiting the planet Saturn. The beautiful images taken by the Cassini probe show parts of the rings which encircle the solar system's second largest planet.

As well as providing a visual treat for the earthbound unable to get up close and personal with the rings, they are providing a valuable service to scientists, according to Space.com. Although the rings appear to be static and fixed, they are in fact constantly moving and fluctuating in ways which have puzzled astronomers and can now be studied more closely. In addition, it is now known that the rings contain 'propeller shapes' caused by small moonlets passing through, another phenomenon being brought to light by Cassini.