July 11, 2012
Credits: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute - Credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/IPF
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The NASA - Cassini Spacecraft looks at Saturn's highly irregular moon Hyperion in this view taken from the Spacecraft's during the Fly-By that occurred on August, 25th, 2011. Hyperion (which is approx. 168 miles, or about 270 Km across) has an irregular shape, and it litterally "tumbles" through its orbit: this meaning that it does not spin at a constant rate or in a constant orientation (and, in fact, a standard reference latitude-longitude system has not yet been devised for this moon); however, images such as this one extend the previous coverage and allow a better inventory of the Surface Features, the satellite's shape and changes in its spin. The Dark Patches that are so very well visible on the Floor of almost every single Crater imaged in this frame, are, most likely, the physical evidence of Surfacing Hydrocarbons (whose nature - if confirmed - and origin are - and, likely for a still very long time, shall remain - a mistery). The image was taken with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft narrow-angle camera using a combination of spectral filters sensitive to wavelengths of Polarized Green Light centered at 617 and 568 nanometers. The view was obtained at a distance of approx. 36.000 miles (such as about 58.000 Km) from Hyperion and at a Phase Angle of 43°. Image scale is 1145 feet (349 meters) per pixel. This frame has been colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Hyperion), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.
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