Phoebe is one of Saturn's moons, discovered in 1899 by astronomer William Henry Pickering. It is the largest irregular moon of the planet and the ninth largest overall. Phoebe has a diameter of about 220 kilometers and a retrograde orbit, meaning that it orbits Saturn in the opposite direction to Saturn's rotation. Its orbit is also highly inclined to Saturn's equator, which is an indication that it is a captured object rather than a moon that formed from the same disk of material as Saturn's other moons. Phoebe's surface is heavily cratered, with some craters being up to 80 kilometers wide. The moon's surface is also very dark, with a low albedo of only about 0.06. This suggests that the moon is made up of materials that are rich in carbon, such as carbon dioxide or organic compounds. The Cassini spacecraft made a close flyby of Phoebe in 2004, discovering that Phoebe has a relatively low density, indicating that it is composed of a mix of ice and rock. Phoebe is thought to be a captured object, possibly a remnant from the Kuiper Belt, a region of the outer solar system beyond Neptune that contains many small, icy bodies. Some scientists believe that Phoebe could have delivered organic molecules and water to Saturn's other moons, including Enceladus, which has an active, icy plume that could potentially harbor life. Overall, Phoebe remains an intriguing object of study for scientists studying the outer solar system and the formation of planets and moons. Its dark surface, irregular orbit, and possible origin in the Kuiper Belt make it a unique and important target for further exploration and investigation.
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