• Flying Over Saturn's Moon Mimas • This movie was made of narrow angle images taken over a period of 7 hours during Cassini's close encounter with Saturn's moon Mimas on August 2, 2005. During the movie, the moon appears to rotate through about 115 degrees and the range varies from 253,000 to 64,000 km (158,000 to 40,000 miles). The image scale in the final pan across the surface, is about 760 meters per pixel. •• Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | Astronomy Nation

Mimas is one of Saturn’s smaller moons, famous for its striking resemblance to the “Death Star” from Star Wars, thanks to its massive Herschel Crater. Discovered in 1789 by William Herschel, Mimas is composed primarily of ice and rock and has a heavily cratered surface. Orbiting close to Saturn, it plays a role in shaping the planet’s rings through its gravitational interactions. Despite its size, Mimas has intrigued scientists for its unique features and resemblance to fictional space structure

7.1K views · 148 reactions | On Sept. 17, 1789, the British...