<p><strong>A flyby of Saturn's scarred moon Mimas reveals the ravages of time and of meteor impacts, seen in this December 29 view from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft.</strong></p><p dir="ltr">Circling the ringed planet for just over a decade, Cassini has snapped unparalleled pictures of Saturn's many moons. This one comes from 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers) above the northern side of the moon's trailing face.</p><p dir="ltr">Counting craters tells scientists the age of the terrain on moons such as Mimas. Older moon surfaces look much more pockmarked than younger ones.</p><p dir="ltr"><em>—By Dan Vergano, photo gallery by Sherry L. Brukbacher</em></p>
Mimas Brandishes Battle Scars
A flyby of Saturn's scarred moon Mimas reveals the ravages of time and of meteor impacts, seen in this December 29 view from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft.
Circling the ringed planet for just over a decade, Cassini has snapped unparalleled pictures of Saturn's many moons. This one comes from 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers) above the northern side of the moon's trailing face.
Counting craters tells scientists the age of the terrain on moons such as Mimas. Older moon surfaces look much more pockmarked than younger ones.
—By Dan Vergano, photo gallery by Sherry L. Brukbacher
Week's Best Space Pictures: Sun Flares, Webb Prepares, and Fogo Scares
A battered moon shows its age, while the sun acts up and a volcano erupts, in the week's best space pictures.
