The
cratered face of Saturn's moon Mimas reveals its rocky history, as seen by the
Cassini orbiter.
Impact
craters cover the surface of Saturn's moon, but the largest crater lies
hidden in darkness within the image. The Herschel crater covers almost one
third of the moon's entire diameter, stretching across approximately 81 miles (130
km). That early impact nearly destroyed the icy moon, sometimes described by
scientists as a big dirty snowball.
The
Cassini mission will continue to examine Mimas and other moons of Saturn as
part of its two-year mission extension
beyond its primary four-year mission.
— NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute and SPACE.com
Staff
Credit: NASA/JPL/Space
Science Institute
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