Monday, January 20, 2014

NASA Cassinni: Iapetus, Saturn's 'Yin and Yang' Moon

The Cassini spacecraft snapped this image of Saturn's "yin and yang" moon Iapetus on Aug. 30, 2013. 

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Yin and yang appear to meet on one of Saturn's moons in a photo taken by a spacecraft exploring the ringed planet and its many moons.

The new Cassini photo of Saturn's moon Iapetus shows the satellite's dark and light sides as comma-shaped features that bear a striking resemblance to the yin and yang symbol in Chinese philosophy.

The image was released in December, but actually taken by the Cassini spacecraft in August.

"This view looks toward the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Iapetus," NASA officials wrote in an image description.

"North on Iapetus is up and rotated 30 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Aug. 30, 2013."

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