Iapetus

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Source credit: NASA/JPL/SSI (Cassini)

Moon of Saturn: Iapetus

Iapetus is the 3rd largest moon of planet Saturn, and has a massive equatorial ridge running three-quarters of the way around the moon, giving it the appearance of a walnut. Iapetus also has a striking two-tone coloration, with one hemisphere showing a bright water ice surface and the other hemisphere showing a dark color, possibly due to sublimation effects.

For a listing of all moons, see Moons of the Planets.

Iapetus Stats

1. Mass (kg)
2. 1.88e+21

1. Radius (km)
2. 730

1. Density (gm/cm³)
2. 1.21

1. Distance from planet (km)
2. 3,561,300

1. Rotational period (days)
2. 79.33018

1. Orbital period (days)
2. 79.33018

1. Orbital velocity (km/sec)
2. 79.33018

1. Eccentricity of orbit
2. 0.0283

1. Inclination of orbit (°)
2. 14.72

1. Albedo
2. 0.2

1. Magnitude (Vo)
2. 10.2-11.9

1. Atmosphere

Iapetus Surface Map

Iapetus moon surface map