Selk crater, Titan

Filed under pretty pictures, Saturn's moons, Titan, Cassini

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Selk is one of only five formally named craters on Titan. This view of Selk and its surroundings comes from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS).

NASA / JPL / UA

Selk is one of only five formally named craters on Titan. This view of Selk and its surroundings comes from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). The color represents infrared wavelengths of 2.0, 1.6, and 1.3 microns, where Titan's atmosphere is somewhat transparent to sunlight. Selk has a bright exterior and dark interior; the "bench" is an optically bright unit that extends several hundred kilometers to the east-southeast of the crater. Both are surrounded by dark materials, which are inferred to be dunes. The X marks the Huygens landing site [HLS]. VIMS observed this region on Titan during the T35, T38, and T40 flybys (August 31, 2007; December 5, 2007; and January 5, 2008).