Saturn's moon Dione
October 11, 2005 - The cratered and cracked disk of Saturn's moon Dione looms ahead in this mosaic of images taken by Cassini as it neared its close encounter with the icy moon. The images used for this mosaic are clear-filter views, which reveal a great deal of surface detail. Multiple generations of tectonics can be seen in this full-disk view. Near the eastern limb (at the right) are tectonic fractures, which may be similar to the bright, braided canyons that make up Dione's noted wispy terrain. Some of the bright, wispy markings can be seen at the left. The softer ridges and troughs at the upper right appear to be about the same age as the cratering seen in that region. These appear to be older than the fracturing seen in the wispy terrain and the fractures seen at the right. Strikingly linear features are seen crisscrossing the southern latitudes. These fine latitudinal streaks appear to crosscut everything, and appear to be the youngest feature type in this region of Dione. A large impact basin hugs the south polar region (at the bottom, right of center). Northeast of the basin is a region of terrain that is relatively smooth, compared to the rest of the moon. This view of Dione is centered on degrees south latitude, degrees west longitude.
Size: 4200px × 4200px
Photo credit: © Stocktrek Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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