AMAZING MOON OF SATURN

Above, a stunning photo of a little known moon of Saturn, only 30 kilometers across. It's called "Pan." The soon to self-destruct Cassini orbiter took the picture last week.

Why the heck does it look like that? Who knows? Only a small number of craters are visible. That indicates that the surface is fairly new, but how could that be?

For comparison here's (above) Mimas, also a moon of Saturn. Mimas is eleven times larger than Pan, and the surface is quite a bit older and strewn with craters. If the left side is dark, drag your cursor over it to light it up.

TWO MOONS OF SATURN / JUPITER'S SOUTH POLE

For comparison: two small moons of Saturn, both embedded in the planet's rings. The one above is Pandora. It's strangely smooth. Where are all the little craters you'd expect? Maybe the surface is relatively young, but how could that be?

Here's the other one: Hyperion. Wow! Could two moons be more different?

Just to fill out the post: here's (above) the view from Jupiter's South Pole. Where are the bands?

Above, the surface of Comet 67p., seen from 16 kilometers away.