Pandora Close up at Saturn
Explanation:
What do the craters of Saturn's small moon Pandora look like up close?
To help find out, NASA sent the
robotic Cassini spacecraft, now orbiting Saturn, past the unusual moon two weeks
ago.
The highest resolution image of
Pandora ever taken was then captured from about 40,000
kilometers out and is
featured here.
Structures as small as 300 meters can be discerned on 80-kilometer wide
Pandora.
Craters on
Pandora appear to be covered over by some sort of material,
providing a more smooth appearance than sponge-like
Hyperion, another small moon of
Saturn.
Curious
grooves and
ridges
also appear to cross the surface of the small moon.
Pandora
is partly interesting because, along with its companion moon
Prometheus,
it helps shepherd the particles of
Saturn's F ring
into a distinct ring.
APOD Lecture: Friday, Jan. 6,
Amateur Astronomers Association of New York City
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
