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World Weighs In: Does Saturn's Moon Pan Resemble Ravioli, a Walnut or a Dumpling?
World Weighs In: Does Saturn's Moon Pan Resemble Ravioli, a Walnut or a Dumpling?
Nov 17, 2024 10:47 AM

At a Glance

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured photos of Saturn's moon, Pan.Everyone seems to be chiming in on what the oddly-shaped moon resembles.

There's no doubt about it — there are some mysteries out there that seem to defy all that we know and believe.

A recent shows one of Saturn's many moons and it doesn't look anything like our moon, that's for sure.

In fact, theworld has weighed in and some say the tiny moon Pan, which has a , looks like a dumpling or ravioli, while others say it resembles a walnut. In any case, it does look like something you might want to nibble on.

According to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, images of Pan taken on March 7 and captured during one of Cassini’s recent trips around Saturn were shot using the camera’s CL1 and GRN filters. While Pan may look unworldly, the photos were not altered in any way.

A photo of the moon Pan orbiting Saturn, captured by the Cassini spacecraft on March 7.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

Carolyn Proco, the head of imaging for the , said the moon's odd shape is due to its bulging equatorial ridge, which was likely caused by ring materialaccretedonto Pan after its formation. The same odd formation has been seen on another Saturn moon, Atlas.

The spacecraft will make several more passes around Saturn collecting images of the beautiful planet until it takes its final plunge into Saturn's atmosphere in September.

(MORE:)

So what do you think Pan looks like?

MORE ON WEATHER.COM:Closest-Ever Look at Saturn's Rings

The image above shows a region in Saturn's outer B ring. NASA's Cassini spacecraft viewed this area at a level of detail twice as high as it had ever been observed before. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

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