Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Saturn's Iapetus: Painted Moon

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for July 5, 2026 is “Saturn's Iapetus: Painted Moon,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , JPL , SSI , Cassini Imaging Team. The original explanation runs about 162 words.

An unusually colored ball is shown against a dark background. The ball has numerous craters but a very large cratered near the lower center. Much of the ball is light colored, but around the right and top it is green-brown, with a border ar
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , JPL , SSI , Cassini Imaging Team Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What has happened to Saturn’s moon Iapetus? Vast sections of this strange world are dark as coal , while others are as bright as snow .”

— APOD editors, July 5, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
July 5, 2026
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 162 words

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Topics in this entry

The MoonSaturn

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: July 5 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.