Saturn: the "Ringed Beauty" and His Moons
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Mimas-PIA07534.jpgRound? Not really...56 visiteCaption NASA originale:"Saturn's moon Mimas, whose low density suggests that it is primarily composed of ice, has a flattened or oblate shape reminiscent of Saturn's. The moon's equatorial dimension is nearly 10% larger than the polar one due to the satellite's rapid rotation. This view shows principally the leading hemisphere on Mimas. Mimas' largest crater, Herschel (130 Km, or 80 miles wide), is centered roughly on the equator and can be seen here. North on Mimas is toward upper left.
The moon's oblateness is exaggerated by Cassini's viewing angle here -- the Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle was only 5° leaving a sliver of the moon's disk in shadow on the northwest limb.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 20, 2005, at a distance of approx. 916.000 Km (about 569.000 miles) from Mimas. Resolution in the original image was 5 Km (about 3 miles) per pixel".
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Mimas-PIA07573.jpgMimas in the shadows of the B-Ring53 visiteAs the closest-orbiting of Saturn's intermediate-sized moons, Mimas is occasionally captured against the planet's dim and shadowed northern latitudes. The Moon is seen here next to the shadows cast by the dense B-Ring. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 18, 2005, at a distance of approx. 1,6 MKM (such as about 1 MMs) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 90°. Image scale is 10 Km (about 6 miles) per pixel.
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Mimas-PIA07608.jpgMimas and the Rings56 visiteOriginal caption:"Saturn's shadow spreads across the Rings here, extending beyond the F-Ring and its tenuous, flanking ringlets. This view catches Saturn's moon Mimas on its day-long sojourn around the Planet.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 24, 2005, at a distance of approx. 2,1 MKM (such as about 1,3 MMs) from Mimas and at a phase angle of 84°. The image scale is 13 Km (about 8 miles) per pixel".
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Mimas-PIA07639.jpgThe "Eye" of Mimas: Herschel Crater in the Sun-light54 visiteImpact-battered Mimas steps in front of Saturn's Rings, showing off its giant 130-Km (about 80-mile) wide Herschel Crater.
The illuminated terrain seen here is on the moon's Leading Hemisphere. North on Mimas is up and rotated 20° to the left.
The image was taken in visible green light with the Cassini narrow-angle camera on Oct. 13, 2005 at a distance of approx. 711.000 Km (roughly 442.000 miles) from Mimas and at a phase angle of 112°.
The image approx. scale is 4 Km (about 3 miles) per pixel.
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Mimas-PIA08135.jpgOverlapping Planets53 visiteCaption originale:"Mimas briefly slipped in front of Tethys while the Cassini spacecraft looked on and captured the event in this series of images.
The images were taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 11, 2006, at a distance of approx. 3,7 MKM (such as about 2,3 MMs) from Mimas and 4,1 MKM (such as about 2,5 MMs) from Tethys. Resolution in the original images was approx. 22 Km (about 14 miles) per pixel on Mimas and approx. 25 Km (about 16 miles) per pixel on Tethys.
The images have been magnified by a factor of two".
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Mimas-PIA08172.jpgMimas, from 190.000 Km54 visiteThis amazing perspective view captures battered Mimas against the hazy limb of Saturn.
It is obvious in such close-up images that Mimas (397 Km, or about 247 miles across) has been badly scarred by impacts over the eons. Its 130 kilometer- (80 mile-) wide crater, Herschel, lies in the darkness at right.
North on Mimas is up and rotated 19° to the right.
The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 21, 2006 using a filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light centered at 338 nnmts. The image was acquired at a distance of approximately 191.000 Km (approx. 119.000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 91°. Image scale is about 1 Km (such as approx. 3.730 feet) per pixel.
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Mimas-PIA08215.jpgMimas, in the Night of Saturn...53 visiteCaption originale:"Cassini looked toward the Night Side of Saturn to spy the darkened orb of Mimas barely visible here near the center of the image hugging the Planet's shadow. To the left of Mimas are several bright features in the faint D-Ring.
The innermost of Saturn's medium-sized icy moons, Mimas, is 397 Km (about 247 miles) across.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 7, 2006 at a distance of approx. 3,9 MKM (such as about 2,4 MMs) from Mimas and 4 MKM (about 2,5 MMs) from Saturn. The Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle is 161°.
Image scale is approx. 24 Km (about 15 miles) per pixel on Saturn".
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Mimas-PIA08223.jpgLand of Darkness...54 visiteCaption NASA originale:"The narrow and twisted F-Ring lights up this scene, which features Mimas against the unlit side of Saturn's Ring-Plane.
The F-Ring contains a great deal of fine, icy particles that are quite effective at scattering Sunlight at "high phase" angles.
Mimas (about 397 Km - approx. 247 miles - across) is seen as a mere crescent in the center of this haunting view.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 13, 2006 at a distance of approx. 3,9 MKM (such as about 2,4 MMs) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 156°. Image scale is roughly 23 Km (about 15 miles) per pixel".
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Mimas-PIA08264.jpgMimas53 visiteCaption NASA originale:"Mimas plows along in its orbit, its pockmarked surface in crisp relief. The bright, steep walls of the enormous crater, Herschel (130 Km, or 80 miles wide), gleam in the Sunlight.
The lit terrain seen here is on the Leading Hemisphere of Mimas (about 397 Km, or 247 miles across). North is up.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 16, 2006 at a distance of approx. 221.000 Km (about 137.000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 80°.
The image scale is roughly 1 Km (about 0,6 mile) per pixel".
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Mimas-PIA08278.jpgHerschel Crater on Mimas54 visiteCaption NASA:"The great basin that interrupts the contours of this moon's crescent identifies the satellite unmistakably as Mimas. The giant crater Herschel (about 130 Km, or 80 miles wide) is this moon's most obvious feature.
North on Mimas (approx. 397 Km, or 247 miles, across) is up and rotated 23° to the left.
The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 8, 2006 at a distance of approx. 534.000 Km (about 331.000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 115°. Image scale is roughly 3 Km (about 1,9 miles) per pixel".
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Mimas-PIA08842.jpgMonochrome Mimas53 visitenessun commento
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Mimas-PIA09806.jpgMimas through the Rings (MULTISPECTRUM-2; credits: Lunexit)88 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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