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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                  2025 January 12   
        A cratered object is shown that shows on really large crater on its   
       right side. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                        Mimas: Small Moon with a Big Crater   
         Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Cassini   
      
      Explanation: Whatever hit Mimas nearly destroyed it. What remains is   
      one of the largest impact craters on one of Saturn's smallest round   
      moons. Analysis indicates that a slightly larger impact would have   
      destroyed Mimas entirely. The huge crater, named Herschel after the   
      1789 discoverer of Mimas, Sir William Herschel, spans about 130   
      kilometers and is featured here. Mimas' low mass produces a surface   
      gravity just strong enough to create a spherical body but weak enough   
      to allow such relatively large surface features. Mimas is made of   
      mostly water ice with a smattering of rock - so it is accurately   
      described as a big dirty snowball. The featured image was taken during   
      the closest-ever flyby of the robot spacecraft Cassini past Mimas in   
      2010 while in orbit around Saturn.   
      
                       Interactive: Take a trek across Mimas   
        January 14: Zoom APOD Lecture hosted by the Amateur Astronomers of   
                              Association of New York   
                           Tomorrow's picture: do north   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7   
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