Saturn’s sponge-like moon, Hyperion, captured in stunning detail after spacecraft flyby

The holey look of the moon comes from its very low density

(NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)

This stunning image shows one of Saturn’s outer moons, Hyperion, looking remarkably like a huge space sponge.

The picture was taken by the Cassini spacecraft during a flyby, as part of its mission to map the satellites around Saturn.

During its flyby, Cassini was blasted by a burst of charged particles from Hyperion, effectively suffering a 200-volt electric shock.

The "attack" was due to the small moon's surface becoming electrostatically charged within Saturn's magnetic field.

Potato-shaped Hyperion, measuring 410 by 260 kilometres (255 by 161 miles), is one of the largest bodies in the solar system known to have such an irregular form.

Its "spongy" appearance is due to its very low density. The moon is porous, with well-preserved craters of all shapes and sizes packed together across its surface.

Scientists believe Hyperion is mostly made from water ice, with small amounts of rock.

The moon has a naturally reddish colour which was toned down in this image to enhance the visibility of its surface features.

Cassini was around 62,000 kilometres (38,525 miles) from Hyperion when the picture was taken on September 26, 2005.

Additional reporting by Press Association