Surface composition of Hyperion

D. P. Cruikshank (), J. B. Dalton, C. M. Dalle Ore, J. Bauer, K. Stephan, G. Filacchione, A. R. Hendrix, C. J. Hansen, A. Coradini, P. Cerroni, F. Tosi, F. Capaccioni, R. Jaumann, B. J. Buratti, R. N. Clark, R. H. Brown, R. M. Nelson, T. B. McCord, K. H. Baines, P. D. Nicholson, C. Sotin, A. W. Meyer, G. Bellucci, M. Combes, J.-P. Bibring, Y. Langevin, B. Sicardy, D. L. Matson, V. Formisano, P. Drossart and V. Mennella
Additional contact information
D. P. Cruikshank: NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6
J. B. Dalton: SETI Institute, 515 N. Whisman Road, Mountain View, California 94043, USA
C. M. Dalle Ore: SETI Institute, 515 N. Whisman Road, Mountain View, California 94043, USA
J. Bauer: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
K. Stephan: DLR, Institute for Planetary Exploration, Rutherfordstrasse 2, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
G. Filacchione: INAF-IASF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica,
A. R. Hendrix: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
C. J. Hansen: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
A. Coradini: INAF-IASF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica,
P. Cerroni: INAF-IASF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica,
F. Tosi: INAF-IASF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica,
F. Capaccioni: INAF-IASF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica,
R. Jaumann: DLR, Institute for Planetary Exploration, Rutherfordstrasse 2, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
B. J. Buratti: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
R. N. Clark: USGS, Mail Stop 964, Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA
R. H. Brown: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
R. M. Nelson: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
T. B. McCord: Space Science Institute NW, 22 Fiddler’s Road, Winthrop, Washington 98862-0667, USA
K. H. Baines: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
P. D. Nicholson: Cornell University, 418 Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
C. Sotin: University of Nantes, BP 92208, 2 rue de la Houssinière, 44072 Nantes Cedex 3, France
A. W. Meyer: USRA/SOFIA, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 211-3, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
G. Bellucci: INAF-IASF Istituto dello Spazio Interplanetario, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
M. Combes: Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 5 Place Jules Jannsen, 95129 Meudon Cedex, France
J.-P. Bibring: Université de Paris Sud-Orsay, Institut d’Astrophysique Spatial, Batiment 120, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
Y. Langevin: Université de Paris Sud-Orsay, Institut d’Astrophysique Spatial, Batiment 120, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
B. Sicardy: Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 5 Place Jules Jannsen, 95129 Meudon Cedex, France
D. L. Matson: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
V. Formisano: INAF-IASF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica,
P. Drossart: Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 5 Place Jules Jannsen, 95129 Meudon Cedex, France
V. Mennella: INAF-OAC Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello 16, I-80131 Napoli, Italy

Nature, 2007, vol. 448, issue 7149, 54-56

Abstract: Cassini's view of Hyperion Saturn's moon Hyperion, an irregular shaped object in a tumbling orbit, looks odd: the Cassini flyby of September 2005 revealed a unique spongy surface. Two papers this week present the initial Cassini results. First, imaging and radio data suggest that the spongy appearance is caused by impact cratering on a porous body. And second, near-infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy reveal details of the surface composition of the highly reflective areas that cover much of the surface, and also of the darker areas, mostly at the bottom of craters. The spectra are consistent with the presence of water ice contaminated with an organic solid. The low-albedo (dark) material is spectroscopically similar to that found on two other saturnian moons, Iapetus and Phoebe, containing a mixture of water ice, complex organics, carbon dioxide and nitriles. This cocktail of materials resembles those seen in comets and probably in Kuiper Belt objects.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05948

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