Inktomi, also known as The Splat, is a prominent rayed

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 diameter located in the southern 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 Rhea. The crater is named for the

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: *Lakota, Iowa *Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County *Lakota ...

spider-god

Iktomi In Lakota mythology, Iktómi is a spider-trickster spirit, and a culture hero for the Lakota people. Alternate names for Iktómi include Ikto, Ictinike, Inktomi, Unktome, and Unktomi. These names are due to the differences in languages between ...

and is located at . Inktomi is thought to be the youngest surface feature on Rhea, with estimates ranging from 8 to 280 million years.http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2011/EPSC-DPS2011-919.pdf

Origin and composition

The rayed ejecta pattern indicates an oblique impact occurred from the west. The impact ejected pure water ice from beneath Rhea's surface creating a region contrastingly lighter than the surrounding regions.http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2011/pdf/2249.pdf Recent analysis of '' Cassini''s VIMS data revealed clean water ice without impurities at the crater and in its ejecta. Reassessment of the images from orbit, using additional images taken from Inktomi and its surroundings, confirms a continuous ejecta blanket almost devoid of small craters, thus likely a more geologically recent impact. A 3-dimensional anaglyph constructed from ''Cassini'' VIMS images shows a hilly crater floor with a prominent but topographically low central peak complex. While regular radial secondaries occur outside of the continuous ejecta blanket associated with the bright rays, clusters of numerous small craters could be identified in the eastern part of the crater floor and in the adjacent continuous ejecta. These small craters were most likely created by material ejected from the Inktomi impact at a steep angle.

References

Impact craters on Saturn's moons Rhea (moon) {{crater-stub