A Closer Look at Iapetus
Saturn has about 60 moons – 53 of which are named. You’ve probably heard of Titan, and possibly Tethys, Mimas and Rhea; or the oddly shaped Hyperion – but what about Iapetus?
At about 40% the size of Earth’s moon, Iapetus is the third-largest natural satellite of Saturn (and the eleventh-largest in the Solar System). Iapetus is best known for its “two-tone” colouration – and that’s exactly what Cassini has been trying to figure out.
For about a week in early 2015, Cassini ran a series of observations to investigate subtle colour differences on the moon’s surface. Images taken with red, green, and blue filters were combined to create this natural colour view. The overall brightness of the surface has been enhanced; in turn making the darker features stand out – creating the best view of Iapetus to date.
-CB
Image credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Tilmann Denk at Freie Universität in Berlin.
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