A colossal crater and a canyon system are just two of the perplexing features on the surface of Saturn's moon Tethys.

Named after a sea goddess, Tethys is home to both the giant crater Odysseus and the Ithaca Chasma, a network of canyons that run more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and span an average width of just over 60 miles (about 100 kilometers). Some researchers believe that the impact that created Odysseus may have formed Ithaca Chasma.

Although this image was released on July 6, 2005, the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn originally recorded it on May 22, 2005 from a distance of about 550,00 miles (884,000 kilometers). Astronomers hope that a subsequent pass by Tethys in September 2005 will get a better look at the dark band that can be seen here girdling the moon's equator.

Cassini used its narrow-angle camera to record this image, which has a resolution of about three miles (five kilometers) per pixels. North is up, with the lit surface shown on the moon's Saturn-facing hemisphere.

-- SPACE.com Staff

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

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