APOD
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.
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. |



