Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                                 2021 May 31
       [2]The picture shows Saturn's Moon Mimas featuring a very large
        circular crater. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                     Mimas: Small Moon with a Big Crater
     Image Credit & Copyright: [3]NASA, [4]JPL-Caltech, [5]Space Science
                            Institute, [6]Cassini

   Explanation: Whatever hit Mimas nearly destroyed it. What remains is
   one of the [7]largest impact craters on one of [8]Saturn's smallest
   round moons. [9]Analysis indicates that a slightly larger impact would
   have destroyed [10]Mimas entirely. The huge crater, named [11]Herschel
   after the 1789 discoverer of Mimas, [12]Sir William Herschel, spans
   about 130 kilometers and is [13]featured here. [14]Mimas' low mass
   produces a [15]surface gravity just strong enough to create a
   [16]spherical body but weak enough to allow such relatively large
   surface features. [17]Mimas is made of mostly water ice with a
   smattering of rock - so it is accurately described as a big dirty
   snowball. The [18]featured image was taken during the closest-ever
   flyby of the [19]robot spacecraft Cassini past Mimas in 2010 while in
   orbit [20]around Saturn.

                  Interactive: [21]Take a trek across Mimas
                    Tomorrow's picture: streaks of Orion
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [37]Specific rights apply.
              [38]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [39]ASD at [40]NASA / [41]GSFC
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2105/Mimas_Cassini_1800.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
   5. https://www.spacescience.org/
   6. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/overview/
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960906.html
   8. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/
   9. https://sos.noaa.gov/datasets/mimas-saturns-moon/
  10. https://trek.nasa.gov/mimas/
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Space_Observatory
  12. https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/herschel/fwhershs.html
  13. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12570
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimas_(moon)
  15. https://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_star
  17. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/saturn-moons/mimas/in-depth/
  18. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12570
  19. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/mission/spacecraft/cassini-orbiter/
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200419.html
  21. https://trek.nasa.gov/mimas/
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210530.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210531
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210601.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/