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.

                               2025 January 12
   [2]A cratered object is shown that shows on really large crater on its
    right side. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                     Mimas: Small Moon with a Big Crater
     Image Credit: [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 [17]relatively large
   surface features. [18]Mimas is made of mostly water ice with a
   smattering of rock - so it is accurately described as a big dirty
   snowball. The [19]featured image was taken during the closest-ever
   flyby of the [20]robot spacecraft Cassini past Mimas in 2010 while in
   orbit [21]around Saturn.

                  Interactive: [22]Take a trek across Mimas
   January 14: [23]Zoom APOD Lecture hosted by the Amateur Astronomers of
                           Association of New York
                        Tomorrow's picture: do north
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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply.
            [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices;
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2501/Mimas_Cassini_1800.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
   5. https://www.spacescience.org/
   6. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cassini/
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960906.html
   8. https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/
   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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Herschel
  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://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/jhqiig/fluffy_norwegian_forest_cat/#lightbox
  18. https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/mimas/
  19. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12570
  20. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cassini/spacecraft/cassini-orbiter/
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200419.html
  22. https://trek.nasa.gov/mimas/
  23. https://aaa.org/event/2025-astronomy-picture-of-the-day/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250111.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250112
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250113.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/