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Iapetus has a bright and a dark hemisphere, with a ridge running along its equator. The dark region is called Cassini Regio and is the principal feature of the leading hemisphere. The surface of Iapetus is heavily cratered, with large impact basins up to 580 kilometres across.
It is oddly shaped and colored, and is the third largest moon orbiting around the planet Saturn. Iapetus has one hemisphere that is light colored and another hemisphere that is incredible darkly colored with a bit of a red tint. Because of its odd coloration, it’s been called the yin and yang of the Saturn moons.
Iapetus is heavily cratered, and Cassini images have revealed large impact basins, at least five of which are over 350 km (220 mi) wide. The largest, Turgis , has a diameter of 580 km (360 mi); [24] its rim is extremely steep and includes a scarp about 15 km (9.3 mi) high. [25]
Iapetus is mostly made up of ice water and about 20% of its mass is rock. The largest crater on Iapetus is Turgis and has a diameter of 360 mi. The Cassini spacecraft has taken several photos of Iapetus, with the closest at a range of 762 mi away.
Oct 16, 2023 · Iapetus is a large moon of Saturn. It was discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1671. Iapetus is unusual: one side is very bright and the other side is very dark. This is because one half of the moon is covered in ice and the other side is coated in black, dusty carbon deposits.
Saturn's third largest moon, Iapetus has a mean radius of 457 miles (736 kilometers) and a density only 1.2 times that of liquid water. It has been suggested that Iapetus (like Rhea) is three quarters ice and one quarter rock. A 3D model of Iapetus, a moon of Saturn. Iapetus orbits at 2,213,000 miles (3,561,000 kilometers) from Saturn.
Much of the difference in reflectivity, however, is believed to be due to residue left behind by the sublimation of ice. The trailing hemisphere is also heavily cratered, while the leading hemisphere is not. Unlike all the other moons but Phoebe, Iapetus's orbit is inclined to the plane of Saturn's equator.
