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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Iapetus in false color

Iapetus in false color
Iapetus in false color This is a raw, unprocessed, uncalibrated image captured on 27 December 2004 as Cassini approached Iapetus from a distance of 762,036 kilometers (473,507 miles). It is composited of three views captured through ultraviolet, green, and infrared filters to bring out compositional variations across the sunlit hemisphere of Iapetus. Three huge impact basins are visible in this image, including a giant multiringed structure within the dark region on the left. A sharp, linear ridge crosses the center of the disk, looking like a conical mountain that pokes up from Iapetus's limb on the right. NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI / Emily Lakdawalla