Solar System
Battered Moon (November 12, 2009)
 Mimas, one of the largest moons of Saturn, shows the scars of billions of years of impacts by rocky debris in this close-up view from the Cassini spacecraft, with Saturn's rings in the background. The largest impact crater, which is on the other side of the moon, inspired researchers to nickname Mimas the "Death Star Moon," because it resembles the giant space stations of Star Wars fame. The surface of Mimas is one of the most thoroughly battered in all the solar system, which tells geologists that nothing has happened on the moon itself, such as melting or volcanic eruptions, to erase the craters. [NASA/JPL/SSL]
» More Solar System images in the Image Gallery
News & Features
» Get the latest on the exploration of Saturn and its moons on our Cassini Updates & Images page.
» Venus Transit the Sun In the early morning hours of June 8, 2004, Venus crossed the face of the Sun, looking like a small black dot against the bright solar disk.
» Get the latest news on Mars exploration and the search for life on the Red Planet from pages of StarDate magazine.
» Get all the facts and information on all the latest explorations in the Solar System Guide.
» Planet Search Continues With New Techniques (StarDate magazine)
» Roving Reporter: Pathfinder on Mars (StarDate magazine)
» The Comet Cometh: A Life-Changing Event (StarDate magazine)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all planets orbit the Sun in the same direction?
How and when did the solar system form?
How big is the solar system?
Is there a tenth planet in our solar system?
Is there life on Mars?
What are comets made of?
Keywords
Asteroids
Ceres
Comets
Jupiter
Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Jupiter's Moons
Kepler's Laws
Mars
Mars' Moons
Martian Surface
Mercury
Meteors and Meteorites
Naming of Solar System Objects and Features
Neptune
Neptune's Moons
Orbits
Origins of the Solar System
Planetary Rings
Pluto
Pluto's Moons
Retrograde Motion
Saturn
Saturn's Atmosphere
Saturn's Moons
Saturn's Rings
Solar System
Uranus
Uranus' Moons
Venus
Venusian Surface
Water and Water Ice
AstroGlossary Terms
Terms to learn or review include Cassini division, Oort Cloud, astronomical unit, aphelion and perihelion.
Links
Center for Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
NASA's Mars Exploration Program
Cassini Mission to Saturn
Voyager Mission to the Outer Planets
ESA Mars Express
Messenger Mission to Mercury
New Horizons to Pluto
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