Stuck In Neverland

  • Released Thursday, August 30, 2012
  • Updated Thursday, December 3, 2015 at 12:35PM
  • ID: 11060
A moon of Saturn appears to be a planet that never grew up.

A moon of Saturn appears to be a planet that never grew up.

Explore how Phoebe was born like a planet but ended up as a moon of Saturn.

Cassini imaging reveals that Phoebe has a nearly spherical shape despite being heavily cratered. Each image represents a 90-degree turn.

Cassini imaging reveals that Phoebe has a nearly spherical shape despite being heavily cratered. Each image represents a 90-degree turn.

A model of Phoebe's shape made with Cassini data shows a 10-mile range between the lowest (blue) and highest (red) elevations.

A model of Phoebe's shape made with Cassini data shows a 10-mile range between the lowest (blue) and highest (red) elevations.

Phoebe resembles a sideways skull in the left image. On the right, bright rays from a crater suggest Phoebe has lighter material beneath.

Phoebe resembles a sideways skull in the left image. On the right, bright rays from a crater suggest Phoebe has lighter material beneath.

A close-up of Phoebe's south pole: Brighter areas are likely ice exposed by small craters; the largest craters are more than 2.5 miles deep.

A close-up of Phoebe's south pole: Brighter areas are likely ice exposed by small craters; the largest craters are more than 2.5 miles deep.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
Science@NASA and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Phoebe images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Cassini image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Cornel

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