Odysseus Crater on Tethys
Explanation:
Some moons wouldn't survive the collision.
Tethys, one of
Saturn's larger moons
at about 1000 kilometers in diameter, survived the collision,
but today exhibits the resulting expansive
impact crater
Odysseus.
Sometimes called the
Great Basin,
Odysseus
occurs on the leading hemisphere of
Tethys
and shows its great age by the relative amount of smaller craters that occur inside
its
towering walls.
The density of Tethys is similar to
water-ice.
The
featured image was captured in November by the
robotic Cassini spacecraft
in orbit around Saturn as it swooped past the giant ice ball.
Cassini has now started on its
Grand Finale Tour
which will take it inside Saturn's rings and
culminate in September with a dive into Saturn's thick atmosphere.
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.
