16 Stunning Images of Saturn's Battered Death Star Moon, Tethys

Like all the moon-laden gas giants that inhabit the outer realms of our solar system, the Saturnine system is an intricate and dynamic one in and of itself. Most people are, of course, aware of Saturn's many-ringed cosmic hula-hoop, but it also has dozens upon dozens of icy, rocky space groupies (AKA moons) to call its gravitational own.

So far, NASA has identified 62 Saturnine moons (only 53 of which have been officially named), not to mention an additional 100 or so "moonlets." While a few of Saturn's largest moons can be directly observed from Earth, our understanding of Saturn's satellites is chiefly due to visiting spacecraft such as NASA's still-active Cassini space probe.

Cassini began orbiting Saturn in 2004 and has been sending back the science (and amazing photos) ever since. For example, the probe recently spotted a series of mysterious red streaks across the surface of the icy moon Tethys (pronounced teh-this). NASA described the narrow, curved lines as being like "graffiti sprayed by an unknown artist," but to me, they resemble the work of some planet-sized toddler who decided to use their red crayon way outside the lines (perhaps owing to my role as a parent of a tiny person).

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The mysterious red streaks (which can be seen below) are particularly striking against the surface of the mostly colorless ice moon. (The photo is actually composite shots taken using clear, green, infrared, and ultraviolet spectral filters to highlight these differences—look through our slideshow and see the moon's overall whiteness.) So, what are these weird marks? Scientists aren't exactly sure, but they're pretty sure they are recent.

"The red arcs must be geologically young because they cut across older features like impact craters, but we don't know their age in years," Paul Helfenstein, a Cassini imaging scientist at Cornell University, said in a NASA blog post. "If the stain is only a thin, colored veneer on the icy soil, exposure to the space environment at Tethys' surface might erase them on relatively short time scales."

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Tethys is only 660 miles across and is notable for two large impact craters. One of these impact sections has been nicknamed Odysseus and measures almost 300 miles across. When taken at certain angles with this large impact crater in just the right light, the moon looks just like the Death Star. Take a look through our slideshow of Cassini's shots of Tethys and see if you disagree.

1. July 29, 2015

An enhanced-color mosaic shows those streaks in detail

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

2. July 29, 2015

Tethys is tidally locked to Saturn, so its "trailing hemisphere" is the side of the moon that always faces opposite its direction of motion as it orbits the planet.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

3. July 27, 2015

The giant impact basin "Odysseus" makes it look like The Death Star in this image.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

4. June 15, 2015

The two large impacts look like a couple of eyes staring at Saturn.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

5. June 8, 2015

The giant Odysseus impact crater is about a third of Tethys's total width.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

6. December 15, 2014

Here Tethys appear peeking out behind the moon, Rhea.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

7. October 13, 2014

A striking shot of Tethys stuck behind Saturn's A and F rings.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

8. May 19, 2014

Tethys's trailing side.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

9. December 3, 2012

Depending on the viewer, Tethys could be said to look like the Death Star or like a nipple (try posting it to Instagram and see what happens).

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

10. August 20, 2012

The northern part of the Odysseus impact crater.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

11. October 10, 2011

Tethys (bottom) and the smaller moon Enceladus appear below Saturn's rings.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

12. March 3, 2010

Tethys as a crescent with its two large craters in view.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

13. September 3, 2009

Nice clear shot of Odysseus.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

14. June 30, 2009

The long shadow of Tethys across Saturn's rings.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

15. January 1, 2009

A close-up shot taken from 38,000 miles.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

16. October 15, 2007

An icy, forbidding world.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute