Dark Terrain on Saturn's Iapetus

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
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orin stepanek
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Dark Terrain on Saturn's Iapetus

Post by orin stepanek » Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:30 pm

Wow! It's really dark!

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060103.html

Almost looks like it was painted. Do you suppose volcanic activity may have caused this; or could the moon be made of dark material?

Orin

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BMAONE23
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Post by BMAONE23 » Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:05 pm

it resembles polar frosting

S. Bilderback
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Post by S. Bilderback » Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:07 pm

Most hydrocarbon ice darken do to radiation exposure, but new cratering exposes the lighter colored ice below. So it is either a geologically inactive moon or its not hydrocarbon ice.
The more I learn, the more I know what I don't know.

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