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[theweaselking]

A giant ridge girdles Saturn's satellite Iapetus - making the moon look like a walnut shell - reveal the latest images from the Cassini-Huygens mission. Scientists are at a loss to explain the feature, which is unique in the solar system.

The Cassini spacecraft flew past Iapetus on New Year's Day, approaching to within 123,400 kilometres of the moon's surface. Its camera captured the most detailed images of Iapetus yet, revealing wisps of dark material and two-tone craters. But the ridge is the greatest surprise to scientists.

It extends for at least 1300 km, following the equator exactly. In places the ridge breaks into mountains at least 13 km high - far taller than Mount Everest on Earth and among the highest known on any world.