So Long, Hyperion, and Thanks for all the Pits

Saturn’s moon Hyperion looks more like a frosted honeycomb or cosmic kitchen sponge than just another cratered old sphere. In fact, the 360-kilometer long moon is one of the more bizarre-looking objects in the solar system. On May 31, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft took its last good look at the strange little world.

From 34,000 kilometers away, Cassini snapped its final closeups of oblong Hyperion. Earlier in its tour of the Saturnian system, the spacecraft had revealed for the first time the true extent of Hyperion’s weirdness, which had only been hinted at in Voyager 2 observations. Those Cassini images, shot in 2005, have since become iconic views of a moon that really is unlike anything

DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.

Create your free account to continue reading

No credit card required. Unlimited access to free content.
Or get a Premium Subscription to access the best of Nat Geo - just $19
SUBSCRIBE

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet