Roland (crater)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Iapetus_Roland_and_Turgis.png/220px-Iapetus_Roland_and_Turgis.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Iapetus_north_azimuthal.png/220px-Iapetus_north_azimuthal.png)
Roland is a 144 km (89-mile)-wide crater near the north pole of Iapetus, a moon of the planet Saturn.[2] It lies inside one of the bright areas on Iapetus called Roncevaux Terra. Images of Roland shows that it has a central peak.
It is named after Roland, the titular main character and protagonist of the Song of Roland, a medieval epic poem. All other surface features on Iapetus are named after characters of this poem.[3]
It is located at 73°18′N 25°12′W / 73.3°N 25.2°W.[4]
Exploration[edit]
No high resolution image of Iapetus' north pole has been taken up to date. This makes it difficult to make a highly detailed map of Roland.
The first-ever probe to visit Saturn was Pioneer 11. Although it did not take any pictures of Iapetus at all. The next probe Voyager 1 visited Iapetus on November 12, 1980. However, it zipped by Iapetus along its equator and not its poles, making it difficult to see Roland from its very brief flyby.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Voyager_2_Iapetus.jpg/220px-Voyager_2_Iapetus.jpg)
The first probe to photograph Roland was Voyager 2 which passed by the north pole of Iapetus on August 22, 1981, during its flyby of Saturn.[5]
The latest mission to visit Saturn was the Cassini spacecraft which arrived at Saturn starting on July 1, 2004.[6] It provided the clearest and best images of Roland during its scheduled flyby on November 12, 2005.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ https://science.nasa.gov/resource/a-moon-with-two-dark-sides/
- ^ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5173
- ^ https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/iapetus/#hds-sidebar-nav-3
- ^ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5173
- ^ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/vg2_4391335.html
- ^ https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cassini/the-journey/timeline/
- ^ https://science.nasa.gov/resource/a-moon-with-two-dark-sides/