#Saturn moon atlas full

Titan is among the most unique and intriguing moons in the solar system. Having a diameter of 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers), Titan is even larger than the planet Mercury. The images are said to be the closest ever to see and study the ringed planet’s moon. its characteristic equatorial ridge (a trait it shares with another Saturn moon Atlas) is caused by the. Saturn’s moon Atlas is reported to have been captured by NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft last April 12, 2017. The moon, which has a diameter of just about 20 miles, follows in the footsteps of its ancient Greek namesake by acting as a shepherd to the material that makes up Saturn's rings, clearing an empty space in their midst known as the Encke Gap. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest moon in the solar system. Posts about saturn moons written by Ian ONeill.

#Saturn moon atlas full

Or, if you insist on getting technical: The image sent back Thursday depicts Saturn's tiny moon Pan, a distinctively ridged satellite that's so close to the planet, it completes a full orbit roughly every 14 hours. Well, on Thursday, Cassini finally sent back what armchair astronomers are saying is the world's definitive depiction of space ravioli - or, depending on whom you ask, a space walnut. Oh sure, the Cassini spacecraft has been orbiting Saturn since 2004, capturing breathtaking images of the beringed gas giant and illuminating a once-obscure pocket of our solar system for the sake of scientific inquiry.īut - you're surely asking - what good is all that if the craft hasn't taken any quality photographs of space ravioli? That's no ravioli! Pan, one of Saturn's moons, bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain stuffed pasta.