APOD: 2007 September 9 - The Great Basin on Saturns Tethys (original) (raw)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2007 September 9

The Great Basin on Saturn's Tethys
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA,NASA

Explanation: Some moons wouldn't survive the collision. Tethys, one of Saturn's larger moonsat about 1000 kilometers in diameter, survived the collision, but sports today the expansive impact crater Odysseus. Sometimes called the Great Basin, Odysseusoccurs on the leading hemisphere of Tethysand shows its great age by the relative amount of smaller craters that occur inside its towering walls. Another large crater, Melanthius, is visible near the moon's terminator. The density of Tethys is similar to water-ice. The above digitally enhanced image was captured in July by the robot Cassini spacecraftin orbit around Saturn as it swooped past the giant ice ball.

Tomorrow's picture: building galaxies

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
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