Pac-man appeared on Saturn's moon

The Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn has captured a very interesting scene of the small satellite Mimas.

The Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn has captured a very interesting scene of the small satellite Mimas.

The probe measured the temperature differences on the surface of the subject and built it into a heat-shaped Pac-man-like heat map, a familiar game that was born in the 1980s.

Picture 1 of Pac-man appeared on Saturn's moon

Mimas heat map is exactly the same as Pac-man eating round dots.Photo: NASA

Picture 2 of Pac-man appeared on Saturn's moon

Heat prediction map (left) and current Mimas.
On the right is the temperature scale in Kenvin degrees (K) and degrees F.

Scientists do not know exactly why Mimas has such a thermal model, most likely related to the structural differences of the material on the surface.

According to scientists, some structures may retain heat better than others. John Spencer, Southwest Boulder Research Institute, Colorado said: 'We suspect the temperature is revealing different points in the texture of the surface'.

The Cassini project team said that volcanic formation could play a major role in changing conditions across large areas of the satellite's surface.

The Mimas satellite (or Saturn I) of Saturn (392 km in diameter) has a huge 'scar' on the surface of the Herschel volcano (named after William Herschel, who discovered the satellite in 1789). .

The Cassini Project is the result of a combination of US Aerospace Agencies (NASA), Europe (Esa) and Italy (ASI). The project is named after Italian astronomer - Giovanni Domenico Cassini, who discovered four large satellites of Saturn.

Cassini's mission is extended until 2017.

Update 17 December 2018
« PREV
NEXT »
Category

Technology

Life

Discover science

Medicine - Health

Event

Entertainment