Thursday, April 26, 2012

Phoebe is weird, we get it



Cassini finds Saturn moon has planet-like qualities

Phoebe













"Cassini images suggest Phoebe originated in the far-off Kuiper Belt, the region of ancient, icy, rocky bodies beyond Neptune's orbit. Data show Phoebe was spherical and hot early in its history, and has denser rock-rich material concentrated near its center. Its average density is about the same as Pluto, another object in the Kuiper Belt. Phoebe likely was captured by Saturn's gravity when it somehow got close to the giant planet."

So Phoebe is a relic moon in a backwards orbit.  Other than that, nothing's unusual about it.

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