
The moon Hyperion tumbles as it orbits Saturn. Hyperion's (168 miles or 270 kilometers across) spin axis has a chaotic orientation in time, meaning that it is essentially impossible to predict how the moon will be spinning in the future. So far, scientists only know of a few bodies with such chaotic spins. The image was taken in green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 22, 2016. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 203,000 miles (326,000 kilometers) from Hyperion and at a Sun-Hyperion-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 10 degrees. Image scale is 1 mile (2 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20512
Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use. Credit NASA as the source. Check NASA's media usage guidelines for details. Images featuring identifiable individuals may require additional permissions.
NASA ID
PIA20512
Date Created
December 5, 2016
Center
JPL
Media Type
image
Download this image in multiple resolutions. All NASA media are free for public use.
480px