Herschel Crater is 130 kilometers, or 80 miles, wide and covers most of the right of this image. The mythological Mimas was a giant killed by Mars in the war between the Titans and Gods of Olympus. Fast Summary Facts About Mimas! On Sept. 17, 1789, the British astronomer William Herschel discovered Saturn's "Death Star" moon, Mimas. Between its estimated 150 moons and moonlets (only 53 of which have been identified and named) there is no shortage of scientific curiosities, and enough mysteries to … Even after his death, it is said that Mimas’ legs turned into snakes and sought revenge. Mimas was discovered on Sept. 17, 1789 by English astronomer William Herschel, using his 40-foot reflector telescope.Ground-based astronomers could only see Mimas as little more than a dot until Voyagers I and II imaged it in 1980. Mimas is most famous for its relatively large Herschel Crater, which makes the moon resemble the Star Wars space station – the Death Star! The Saturn-studying Cassini spacecraft caught a fresh look at the moon in October and NASA highlighted the image on Monday. Consider Mimas, which is often referred to as Saturn's "Death Star Moon" on a count of its unusual appearance. Flying by the "Death Star" Moon In this view captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on its closest-ever flyby of Saturn's moon Mimas, large Herschel Crater dominates Mimas, making the moon look like the Death Star in the movie "Star Wars." The Cassini spacecraft made several close approaches and provided detailed images of Mimas.

It is also the smallest astronomical body in the solar system to be naturally rounded by gravity; all smaller moons are irregular in shape. Mimas was named by John Herschel, son of the famous English astronomer William Herschel.