Saturn’s moon Prometheus seen up close

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Press Release

9 December 2015 Astronomy Now

Saturn's moon Prometheus imaged by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on 6 December 2015. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.
Saturn’s moon Prometheus imaged by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on 6 December 2015. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft spied details on the pockmarked surface of Saturn’s moon Prometheus (86 kilometres, or 53 miles across) during a moderately close flyby on 6 December 2015. This is one of Cassini’s highest resolution views of Prometheus.

This view looks towards the anti-Saturn side of Prometheus. North on Prometheus is up. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera.

The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 23,000 miles (37,000 kilometres) from Prometheus and at a Sun-Prometheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 87 degrees. Image scale is 722 feet (220 metres) per pixel.

Prometheus orbits Saturn just interior to the narrow F ring, which is seen here at top.

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