Explanation:
What does Saturn's small moon Pandora look like?
To help find out, the
robot Cassini spacecraft
now orbiting Saturn passed about 50,000 kilometers from the unusual moon in
early September.
The highest resolution image of Pandora ever taken was then captured and is
shown above in representative colors.
Features as small as 300 meters can be discerned on 80-kilometer wide
Pandora.
Craters on Pandora appear to be covered over by some sort of material,
providing a more smooth appearance than sponge-like
Hyperion, another small moon of
Saturn.
Curious grooves and
ridges
also appear to cross the surface of the small moon.
Pandora
is partly interesting because, along with its companion moon
Prometheus,
it helps shepherd the particles of
Saturn's F ring
into a distinct ring.
