Phoebe: Comet Moon of Saturn


Once thought to be a comet, Phoebe is now captured by Jupiter's orbit. Cassinni, who fly by the planet in 2004, supported this notion because of Phoebe's eccentric, retorgrade orbit. This could only mean that the current moon was once before a comet or Kuiper Belt Object. Cassinni's data also reported CO2 trapped wthin the rocks making Phoebe chemically similar to Pluto and Triton. Phoebe's irregular surface structures also supports the theory that its origin is from outer space. The image also depicts some of Phoebe's structures including craters, streaks, and layered deposits of light and dark material. Phoebe is apporximately 220 kilometers in diameter or 137 miles.