New images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft offer close-ups of three of Saturn’s tiny moons – Atlas, Epimetheus and Prometheus.
Cassini captured this view of Atlas on December 6, 2015. The view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Atlas. North on Atlas is up. The outer A ring is seen at the bottom of this view. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.
Atlas, also known as Saturn XV, was originally discovered by NASA’s Voyager spacecraft in 1980 from photographs taken during its encounter with Saturn.
This moon is approximately 19 miles (30 km) across. It orbits Saturn in a region called the Roche Division, between the gas giant’s A and F rings, at the outer edge of the main ring system.
This new image of Atlas was taken in visible light with Cassini’s narrow-angle camera during a moderately close flyby on December 6, 2015.
The view was acquired at a distance of 20,000 miles (32,000 km) from the small moon and at a Sun-Atlas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 83 degrees.
This image of Saturn’s moon Epimetheus was taken by NASA’s Cassini robotic probe on December 6. The view looks toward the Saturn facing side of the tiny moon. North on Epimetheus is up. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.
Epimetheus, or Saturn XI, is a potato-shaped object with dimensions approximately 84 x 65 x 65 miles (135 x 108 x 105 km, respectively). It was discovered by astronomer Richard Walker in December 1966.
The moon orbits Saturn from a distance of roughly 94,100 miles (151,500 km).
This image of Epimetheus was taken in green polarized light with Cassini’s narrow-angle camera.
The image was captured on December 6, when Cassini was nearly 22,000 miles (35,000 km) from this tiny moon.
This is one of Cassini’s highest resolution views of Prometheus. The view looks towards the anti-Saturn side of the small moon. North on Prometheus is up. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.
Prometheus, also known as Saturn XVI, was discovered in 1980 by NASA’s Voyager team.
It is extremely irregular (85 x 49 x 37 miles, or 136 x 79 x 59 km) and has visible craters – some up to 12 miles (20 km) in diameter.
According to NASA scientists, Prometheus acts as a shepherding satellite, constraining the extent of the inner edge of Saturn’s F Ring.
This new image of the small moon was taken in visible light with Cassini’s narrow-angle camera during the December 6 flyby.
The view was acquired at a distance of 23,000 miles (37,000 km) from Prometheus and at a Sun-Prometheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 87 degrees.
