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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Pandora Close-up at Saturn

Explanation: What do the craters of Saturn's small moon Pandora look like up close? To help find out, NASA sent the robotic Cassini spacecraft , now orbiting Saturn, past the unusual moon two weeks ago. The highest resolution image of Pandora ever taken was then captured from about 40,000 kilometers out and is featured here . Structures as small as 300 meters can be discerned on 80-kilometer wide Pandora . Craters on Pandora appear to be covered over by some sort of material, providing a more smooth appearance than sponge-like Hyperion , another small moon of Saturn . Curious grooves and ridges also appear to cross the surface of the small moon. Pandora is partly interesting because, along with its companion moon Prometheus , it helps shepherd the particles of Saturn's F ring into a distinct ring.

Date January 3, 2017
Credit Image Credit: NASA , JPL-Caltech , Space Science Institute
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.