Moon and Saturn

StarDate

A 900-mile-wide, two-toned walnut orbits the planet Saturn. It’s Saturn’s third-largest moon, and definitely the most eye-catching. One hemisphere is as dark as coal, while the other is as bright as sea ice. And a mountain ridge wraps around the equator, making it look like a walnut.

Iapetus was discovered in 1671. And right away, astronomers realized there was something odd about it. It was easy to see when it was on one side of Saturn, but invisible on the other. Today, we know why that’s the case: the planet’s leading hemisphere is 10 to 20 times brighter than the trailing hemisphere.

The leading idea says that long ago, the darker side was pelted by dust and rocks blasted off some smaller moons. The darker material trapped the Sun’s heat, vaporizing ices. The vapor drifted to the other side, where it froze, making that side bright. And that process continues today – making Iapetus the “yin and yang” of moons.

The ridge around the equator is about six miles high. It might have formed long ago when Iapetus rotated much faster than it does today. Or it might be the remains of a ring that collapsed onto the surface – making Iapetus look like a walnut.

Saturn appears quite close to our own Moon at dawn tomorrow. It looks like a bright star to the lower left of the Moon. The much-brighter planet Venus is farther to the lower left. More about this morning lineup tomorrow.

Script by Damond Benningfield