Artist's concept of Saturn as seen from the surface of its moon Iapetus.


Artist's concept of Saturn as seen from the surface of its moon Iapetus. Saturn dominates Iapetus' velvet black sky framed by three inner moons. Left to right are Tethys, Rhea and Dione. Less than half the size of the Earth's moon, ice-covered Iapetus is one of the few places in the solar system that offers a good view of Saturn's rings. This is because Iapetus' orbit is inclined almost 15 degrees to Saturn's equator. With the exception of Phoebe, none of Saturn's other satellites offer such a vantage point. Unlike haze-shrouded Titan, Iapetus has no atmosphere to speak of and is believed to be composed almost entirely of water ice.


Size: 4892px × 3669px
Photo credit: © Walter Myers / Stocktrek Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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