Cassini: next stop Iapetus

After two trips past Smoggy Titan, and one past the relatively smooth, icy moon Dione. The Cassini spacecraft is
due to encounter the Yin-Yang of Moons, Iapetus.
The encounter takes place on Dec. 31st.

Here is a color image I made from one IR frame, one green Frame, and one
UV frame..all taken on Dec.27th. At a distance of abvout 760,000 Km.

IAPETUS aka "lumpy the moon"


This is the darker side of the moon..The opposite hemisphere is much brighter, almost snowlike, in it's reflectivity. Hence the Yin-Yang reference..



[edit on 29-12-2004 by spacedoubt]

Thanks for the information, spacedoubt. For more on the Cassini Mission, view its homepage.

ooops

Faux pas, on my part. No link..
Forgive me, I am nursing my way out of the FLU...!