Ghanim is an

impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters ...

in the northern hemisphere of

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

's moon

Enceladus Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn (19th largest in the Solar System). It is about in diameter, about a tenth of that of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Enceladus is mostly covered by fresh, clean ice, making it one of the most refl ...

. Ghanim was first observed in '' Cassini'' images during that mission's February 2005 flyby of Enceladus. It is located at 38.5° North

Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

, 281.5° West

Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

and is 13.9 kilometers across. The topography of the impact crater appears very subdued, suggesting that the crater has undergone significant viscous relaxation since its formation. Tectonics has also affected this crater, by influencing the final, polygonal shape of the crater as well disrupting the southeastern and northwestern margins of the crater following its formation. The crater is named after Ghanim bin Ayyub (Ghanim, son of Ayyub), the title character of the " Tale of Ghanim bin Ayyub, the Distraught, the Thrall o’ Love" in ''

The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

''. Incidentally, craters named after Ghanim's father, Ayyub, and sister, Fitnah, are found nearby.

References

Impact craters on Enceladus {{Crater-stub