Flying By Saturn's 'Death Star' Moon Mimas

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Saturn's moon Mimas is dominated by a huge crater called Herschel that makes the moon look like the Death Star from "Star Wars." This photo was taken Feb. 13, 2010, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Mimas is only 246 miles (396 kilometers) across.

Mimas Is Also Space Pac-Man

NASA/JPL/GSFC/SWRI/SSI

This figure illustrates the unexpected and bizarre Pac-Man like pattern of daytime temperatures found on Saturn's small inner moon Mimas. The heat map was compiled from data recorded by the Cassini spacecraft during a Feb. 13, 2010 flyby of Mimas.

Saturn's Moon Mimas, With Rings

NASA/JPL-CalTech

Mimas, with its large Herschel crater, resembles the Death Star as it looms over Saturn's rings in this image from Cassini.

Herschel Crater on Mimas

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

This mosaic, created from images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft during its closest flyby of Saturn's moon Mimas on Feb. 13, 2010, looks straight at the moon's Herschel crater and reveals new insights about the moon's surface. Herschel crater gives Mimas its "Death Star" appearance. It is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) wide.

Streaked Craters of Mimas

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

This false-color view of Saturn's moon Mimas from NASA's Cassini spacecraft highlights terrain-dependent color differences and shows dark streaks running down the sides of some of the craters on the region of the moon that leads in its orbit around Saturn. The origin of the color differences (exaggerated by computer enhancement) is not yet understood.

Streaks and Markings on Saturn's Moon Mimas

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Relatively dark regions below bright crater walls and streaks on some of the walls are seen in this mosaic of Saturn's moon Mimas, created from images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft during its closest flyby of the moon on Feb. 13, 2010

Mimas' Color Near Herschel Crater

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Subtle color differences on Saturn's moon Mimas are apparent in this false-color view of Herschel Crater captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft during its closest-ever flyby of that moon on Feb. 13, 2010. The crater is 80 miles (130 kilometers) wide.

Mimas' Herschel Crater in 3-D

NASA/JPL/SSI

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured a three-dimensional view of the large Herschel Crater on Saturn's moon Mimas during its closest-ever flyby of the moon on Feb.13, 2011. The crater is 80 miles (130 kilometers) wide.

Saturn's Moon Mimas: Three-Quarter Portrait

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Appearing like a cyclops gazing off into space, Saturn's moon Mimas and its large Herschel Crater are profiled in this view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft taken on Feb. 13, 2010.

Mimas' Shadow on Saturn

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The shadow of the moon Mimas creates a smudge on the southern hemisphere of Saturn in this view from the Cassini spacecraft. Image taken Jan. 21, 2012.

Mimas and Saturn's Rings

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

As Cassini nears the end of its mission, it continues to beam data back to Earth, including this image of Saturn, its rings and the tiny moon Mimas. The craft's wide-angle camera captured the image of the sunlit rings on July 21, 2016.