The Cassini spacecraft has been returning wonderful photos of Saturn and its rings all summer, but this image of Mimas, one of the moons of Saturn, really caught my eye. The crater that is visible near the top is about 80 miles wide, and the mountain in the middle is as high as Mt. Everest. It’s said the impact almost destroyed the moon!
Some higher definition photos of Mimas are available, but I like the one above both for the way it’s lit (the peak in the middle is nicely highlighted) as well as its resemblance to the Star Wars Death Star.
This story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning this detailed critique of the DeathStar’s trash compacting system.
Thanks to apostropher for the original linkage.