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Flying by IapetusImages collected during Cassini's recent low pass over the Saturnian moon, Iapetus, have uncovered telltale signs hinting at the cause of its peculiar visage. [Press announcement here.]
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Oct 8, 2007:
| The Other Side of Iapetus - Cassini captures the first high-resolution glimpse of the bright trailing hemisphere of Iapetus. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| Approaching Iapetus - The slim crescent of Iapetus looms before the Cassini spacecraft as it approaches the mysterious moon. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| A Scene of Craters - This high-resolution view shows a vast range of crater sizes in the dark terrain of Iapetus' leading hemisphere. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| A Complex Transition - The transition region from Iapetus’ dark leading hemisphere to its bright trailing hemisphere is a complicated patchwork of craters and highlands, with low elevations filled in by dark material. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| Speckled Surface - Dark material has coated the low-elevation terrain and the interiors of craters in the southern portions of the quadrant on Iapetus that faces away from Saturn. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| The Transition Zone - Soaring above the alien, icy wastelands of Iapetus, the Cassini spacecraft captured a series of high-resolution images of the transition region from dark to bright terrain at southern middle latitudes that have been mosaicked together in this view. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| Towering Peaks of Iapetus - This stereo image, or anaglyph, shows huge mountains on Iapetus, imaged by the Cassini spacecraft during its very close flyby in Sept. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| Spotty Iapetus - At high resolution, terrain in the transition region between bright and dark hemispheres on Iapetus reveals a spotty appearance reminiscent of a Dalmatian. |
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Oct 8, 2007:
| Closest View of Iapetus - This mosaic of Cassini images shows the smallest details ever observed on Iapetus. |
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