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Mimas moon

The moon Mimas with the crater Herschel in the upper right.

Mimas is a moon of Saturn that was discovered in 1789 by William Herschel. It is named after Mimas, a Gigante son of Gaia and Uranus in ancient Greek mythology, and is also designated Saturn I.

Mimas' low density (1.17) indicates that it is composed mostly of water ice with only a small amount of rock. Due to the tidal forces acting on it, the moon is not perfectly spherical; its longest axis is about 10% longer than the shortest. Mimas' surface gravity is .008g or eight/one-thousands of that for Earth.

Mimas' most distinctive feature is a colossal impact crater 130 km across, named Herschel after the moon's discoverer. Herschel's diameter is almost a third of the moon's own diameter; its walls are approximately 5 km high, parts of its floor measure 10 km deep, and its central peak rises 6 km above the crater floor. The impact that made this crater must have nearly shattered Mimas: fractures can be seen on the opposite side of Mimas that may have been created by shock waves from the impact travelling through the moon's body.

Mimas in "Les Mortes d'Arthur"[]

Mimas' low gravity made it the perfect site for part of the Sixty-sixth Winter Games in the 22nd century (the terrestrial part was held in Klagenfurt, United Europe). Given the incredible cost and distance, only the wealthiest countries could afford to send athletes to Mimas.

The centerpiece event was the five-kilometer ski jump. However, during the event, three athletes were murdered.

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