A “crescent” Hyperion from May 31, 2015.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI. Edited by J. Major
Posted on 06/01/2015 4:51:15 PM PDT by BenLurkin
On Sunday, May 31, 2015, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft made its latest and final flyby of Hyperion, Saturn’s spongy moon. At around 9:36 a.m. EDT Cassini came within 21,000 miles (34,000 km) of Hyperion’s surface — not its closest approach ever but certainly close enough to grab some fantastic images of this porous and punched-in world.
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At 255 x 163 x 137 miles (410 x 262 x 220 kilometers), Hyperion is the largest of Saturn’s irregularly-shaped moons and its eighth-largest overall. Scientists think it could be what’s left over from a larger moon that was blown apart in the distant past.
Because of its porosity and low density, impacts on Hyperion tend to create punched-in craters with little to no ejecta, giving it its strange spongelike appearance.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.discovery.com ...
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI. Edited by J. Major
You really cannot call them cliffs if they are flat to the moon’s surface. More like sloped ridges. What could have formed them around Hyperion’s circumference? Odd.
Wow. Looks kind of like a giant wasp nest. I wonder...
You know, now that you mention it.....
Thanks BenLurkin, extra to APoD.
“9 Close-Up Photos of Saturn’s Spongy Weirdo Moon, Hyperion”
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