Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Saturn's Hyperion: A Moon with Odd Craters

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 12, 2023 is “Saturn's Hyperion: A Moon with Odd Craters,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , JPL , SSI , Cassini Imaging Team. The original explanation runs about 129 words.

An oblong moon is shown that appears sponge like and features many odd craters. Close inspection shows that the bottoms of these craters are covered with a dark material. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , JPL , SSI , Cassini Imaging Team Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What lies at the bottom of Hyperion ‘s strange craters? To help find out, the robot Cassini spacecraft that once orbited Saturn swooped past the sponge-textured moon and took images of unprecedented detail.”

— APOD editors, March 12, 2023

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
March 12, 2023
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , JPL , SSI , Cassini Imaging Team
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 129 words

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Topics in this entry

The MoonSaturn

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: March 12 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.