The Cassini spacecraft is collecting early images of Saturn's moon in what
will be a four-year survey of the whole system. This new view of Rhea, the second
largest satellite of Saturn, is one sign of things to come.
With a diameter of 1,528 kilometers (950 miles) across, Rhea is Saturn's second
largest moon. It has one hemisphere covered bright streaks that might be water
frost, scientists learned long ago from they Voyager spacecraft.
Like Earth's Moon, Rhea is heavily crated, the result of ancient impacts by
other space rocks. And seen from the right angle, as here, Rhea can show off
a crescent phase, just as Earth's Moon does.
Cassini is slated to fly by Rhea at a distance of only 311 miles (500 kilometers)
on Nov. 26, 2005. This view was taken from about 615,000 miles (990,000 kilometers)
away.
