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Oct 5, 2021 · Saturn’s Iapetus, discovered way back in 1671, has three bizarre features that science still can’t fully explain. The two-toned Iapetus is the strangest known moon in all the solar system.
- Ethan Siegel
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 surface of Iapetus is heavily cratered, with large impact basins up to 580 kilometres across. Surface darkening on Iapetus comes from organic materials left behind as ice in the warmer Cassini Region region sublimates.
Iapetus' bright side is returning to view for the next few weeks, meaning anyone with a small telescope can now spot the elusive moon. When farthest east of Saturn in its languid 79-day orbit, Iapetus glows at magnitude 11.9, faint enough to be easily overlooked.
The region appears heavily cratered, particularly in the north and south polar regions. Near the top of the mosaic, numerous impact features visible in NASA Voyager 2 spacecraft images (acquired in 1981) are visible, including the craters Ogier and Charlemagne.
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 a heavily cratered body, and Cassini images have revealed large impact basins in the dark region, at least three of which are over 350 km wide. The largest has a diameter over 500 km; its rim is extremely steep and includes a scarp over 15 km high.
