Pictured above, from about 75,000 kilometers out, Cassini's trajectory allowed unprecedented imaging of the hemisphere of Iapetus that is always trailing.
A huge impact crater seen in the south spans a tremendous 450 kilometers and appears superposed on an older crater of similar size.
The dark material is seen increasingly coating the easternmost part of Iapetus, darkening craters and highlands alike.
Close inspection indicates that the dark coating typically faces the moon's equator.