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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Mimas: Small Moon with a Big Crater
NASA ^ | 12 Jan, 2025 | Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Cassini

Posted on 01/12/2025 12:17:57 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: Whatever hit Mimas nearly destroyed it. What remains is one of the largest impact craters on one of Saturn's smallest round moons. Analysis indicates that a slightly larger impact would have destroyed Mimas entirely. The huge crater, named Herschel after the 1789 discoverer of Mimas, Sir William Herschel, spans about 130 kilometers and is featured here. Mimas' low mass produces a surface gravity just strong enough to create a spherical body but weak enough to allow such relatively large surface features. Mimas is made of mostly water ice with a smattering of rock - so it is accurately described as a big dirty snowball. The featured image was taken during the closest-ever flyby of the robot spacecraft Cassini past Mimas in 2010 while in orbit around Saturn.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 01/12/2025 12:17:57 PM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 01/12/2025 12:18:31 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

๐Ÿช ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŒŒ ๐Ÿ”

3 posted on 01/12/2025 12:20:29 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

4 posted on 01/12/2025 12:21:56 PM PST by Sirius Lee ("Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.")
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To: MtnClimber

That’s no moon. Oh wait, yes it is.


5 posted on 01/12/2025 12:25:56 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


6 posted on 01/12/2025 12:54:32 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who youโ€™ll know me as)
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To: MtnClimber; All

Plenty of water for Mars.


7 posted on 01/12/2025 1:07:05 PM PST by marktwain (The Republic is at risk. Resistance to the Democratic Party is Resistance to Tyranny. )
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To: marktwain

Enough water to cover mars about 10,000 feet deep in water over the entire planet.

Just need to move as much of that water as needed to the Mars surface...

Could probably settle for 1% of that (about 100 feet deep on the average...


8 posted on 01/12/2025 1:20:12 PM PST by marktwain (The Republic is at risk. Resistance to the Democratic Party is Resistance to Tyranny. )
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To: marktwain

Lots of resources in space. We just need to access them.

Anyone for a “new earth”?


9 posted on 01/12/2025 1:20:56 PM PST by marktwain (The Republic is at risk. Resistance to the Democratic Party is Resistance to Tyranny. )
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To: marktwain

โ€œAnyone for a new earth?โ€

If it were possible: Move mars and or Venus into the habitable zone orbit. Add water from mimas onto Mars. We could have a couple more Earths to colonize.


10 posted on 01/12/2025 1:48:09 PM PST by Redcitizen
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To: marktwain
Build some fusion reactors on Mimas, melt the ice and use it as reaction mass to maneuver Mimas to Mars.
11 posted on 01/12/2025 1:56:30 PM PST by Toddsterpatriot (TANSTAAFL)
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To: MtnClimber

Seven years before his discovery of Mimas, Herschel discovered the seventh planet. Some people wanted to name that planet “Herschel.” In retrospect that might have been a good idea.


12 posted on 01/12/2025 1:59:59 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Verginius Rufus
> In retrospect that might have been a good idea.

Perhaps, but then think about all the sophomoric jokes that would never have been cracked. It's hard to compete with Uranus for joke fodder.

13 posted on 01/12/2025 2:58:11 PM PST by dayglored (This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24)
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To: dayglored

I think those sophomoric jokes only work in English. Non-Anglophones are missing out.


14 posted on 01/12/2025 4:05:31 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: MtnClimber

Sometimes I think God is playing with us just for fun!..................


15 posted on 01/13/2025 5:36:30 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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