Iapetus

Saturn · space mystery · moon

Walnut-shaped moon. Iapetus has a huge ridge that runs around its equator, making it look like someone wrapped a belt tightly around the middle. This ridge is so big that it rises up to 20 kilometers high in some places.

Found in 1671. An Italian astronomer named Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovered Iapetus over 350 years ago using early telescopes. It was one of the first moons ever discovered around Saturn.

Third largest moon. At 1,469 kilometers across, Iapetus is Saturn's third-biggest moon and the eleventh-largest moon in the entire solar system. That's about the size of a small planet.

Two-toned surface. One side of Iapetus is covered in dark material while the other side is much brighter and icy. Scientists think dark dust from space may have settled on one hemisphere.

Named from myths. The moon is named after Iapetus, a Titan from ancient Greek stories. The Titans were powerful giants who came before the Greek gods.