Another Saturnian moon, for your viewing pleasure

[fivemack]

This is a 928x822 image, so after much persuasion I've lj-cutted it.





Maybe I have both an unfashionable interest in extra-terrestrial geography and a peculiarly low level of fastidiousness about knitting things together with GIMP, but I'm slightly surprised I've produced this Cassini mosaic of cliffs on Dione before it appears on the front page of nasa.gov

If anyone has an explanation not involving aliens for the perfectly straight, narrow valley just above and to the left of the middle of this image, inquiring minds want to know. I also like the way, just near the seam, that the rock-hard ice appears to have flowed like treacle (better seen on the original)

Comments

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I thought that, but it's visible on some of the other raw images taken at around the same time. Remarkable as it is, I think it's real.

MC

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Hmm - if the pointing wasn't moved, then there could be remnance in the detector? The intensity of the streak is nowhere near constant, I see on close examination. There appears to be 'shadowing' on the 'upper' 'night' end which fades toward the 'lower' 'day' end.

I suppose it could be a ground feature created by an incoming recent meteorite, hence overlaying all prior cratering etc.?