Mimas

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Crash course?

20 December 2016 Astronomy Now

It may look as though Saturn’s moon Mimas is crashing through the rings in this image taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, but Mimas is actually 45,000 kilometres (28,000 miles) away from the rings.

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Icy moon Mimas dwarfed by Saturn’s rings

30 November 2016 Astronomy Now

Saturn’s icy 246-mile-wide moon Mimas (near lower left) appears tiny by comparison to the planet’s rings, but scientists think the all of the small, icy particles spread over a vast area that comprise the rings are no more than a few times as massive as Mimas. The view was obtained by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft at a distance of approximately 564,000 miles from Saturn.

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Saturn’s seasonal shadows

9 August 2016 Astronomy Now

The shadow of Saturn’s globe on the rings, which stretched across all of the rings earlier in the Cassini spacecraft’s mission, now barely makes it past the Cassini Division. The changing length of the globe’s shadow marks the passing of the seasons on Saturn. As the planet nears its northern-hemisphere solstice in May 2017, the shadow will get even shorter.

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A trio of Saturnian moons

23 February 2016 Astronomy Now

Three of Saturn’s moons — Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas — are captured in this group photo from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. Tethys appears above the rings, while Enceladus sits just below centre and Mimas hangs below and to the left of Enceladus. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from narrowly above the ring plane.

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Triple crescents

22 June 2015 Astronomy Now

A single crescent moon is a familiar sight in Earth’s sky, but with Saturn’s many moons, you can see three or even more. Rhea (top), Titan and Mimas (bottom) align for this image from NASA’s ongoing Cassini mission.