Saturn's moon Helene
Channel: Sights of Space
Date: 2023-08-09

Although its colors may be subtle, Saturn's moon Helene is an enigma in any light. The moon was imaged in unprecedented detail in 2012 as the robotic Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn swooped to within a single Earth diameter of the diminutive moon. Although conventional craters and hills appear, the above image also shows terrain that appears unusually smooth and streaked. Planetary astronomers are inspecting these detailed images of Helene to glean clues about the origin and evolution of the 30-km across floating iceberg. Helene is also unusual because it circles Saturn just ahead of the large moon Dione, making it one of only four known Saturnian moons to occupy a gravitational dimple known as a stable Lagrange point.

Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SSI; Processing: Daniel Macháček
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

Some of the links in this video/description may be affiliate links.  We are Amazon affiliates. This means that if you click on one of the links and make a purchase, we may receive a commission (at no extra charge to you).