Images of Saturn's Small Moons Tell the Story of Their Origins

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The highest resolution images of Pan (right) and Atlas (left) reveal distinctive flying saucer shapes created by prominent equatorial ridges not seen on the other small moons of Saturn. Image credit: NASAJPLSpace Science Institute
The highest resolution images of Pan (right) and Atlas (left) reveal distinctive "flying saucer" shapes created by prominent equatorial ridges not seen on the other small moons of Saturn. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Imaging scientists on NASA's Cassini mission are telling a tale of how the small moons orbiting near the outer rings of Saturn came to be. The moons began as leftover shards from larger bodies that broke apart and filled out their "figures" with the debris that made the rings.


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