Hyperion

Hyperion is a strange, spongy moon of Saturn. Much of the interior of Hyperion is empty space, suggesting it is little more than a pile of space rubble 266km across.

Composition

The surface of the tiny worldlet contains hydrocarbons, the building blocks of life. Most of the surface is a mix of frozen water and organic dust, as well as trace amounts of frozen carbon dioxide. But the key discovery are the hydrocarbons; combinations of carbon and hydrogen atoms. When these molecules are embedded in ice and then exposed to ultraviolet radiation, new complex molecules can form that are present in life.

The moon's bizarre spongy appearance is a result of its extremely low density. The moon has only half the density of hydrogen dioxide water, and its low gravity means that normal processes, such as crater formation work differently than on more dense objects. Objects that impact Hyperion plunge in, compressing the surface instead of blasting out the familiar looking craters.

Orbital parameters

Hyperion rotates chaotically because of a variety of external influences.