Saturn's enigmatic moon has revealed some of its secrets to researchers at NASA and Caltech
A close-up view of Hyperion taken by the Cassini spacecraft. Photo: NASA
The Cassini spacecraft captured new photographs of the oddly shaped moon Hyperion during its approach to the spongy moon on Thursday, August 25. Raw images were taken when the spacecraft was 25 thousand kilometers away from the moon at the point of approach.
Hyperion is a small moon, about 270 kilometers in diameter. It has an irregular shape and a surface full of holes. It also rotates chaotically as it moves in its orbit around Saturn. This irregular rotation prevented scientists from predicting exactly how much of the surface Cassini's cameras would be able to see during the approach.
However, the approach allowed the Cassini cameras to map new areas. At the very least the approach helped scientists improve the measurement of the moon's color. It also allowed them to determine how much Hyperion's brightness changed as lighting and viewing conditions changed. This data can provide insight into the surface structure. Measuring the spectrum will provide more information about the various materials on the scarred surface of the moon Hyperion.
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It seems to me that Hyperion's "spongy" form stems from strength
The small pull on his face as a result of his small mass.
"Color measurers" - what is called in a slightly more professional language - spectrometric measurements (mainly vehicle inspection).
They measure the colors.
(:))