Moons · Moon
A moon of Saturn. Explore its views, where their colours came from, and palettes you can use.
Featured palette: Global mosaic texture (NASA 3D Resources) (Sampled from this image)
#B3B3B3#070707#E7E7E7#C0C0C0#9D9D9D#707070#363636
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (Voyager mosaic).
About Iapetus
A moon of Saturn.
| Classification | Moon |
|---|---|
| Parent body | Saturn |
| Mean radius | 734.3 km ± 2.8 kmmean radius · NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics |
| Orbital period | 79.3 daysorbital period around Saturn · mean elements, epoch 2000-01-01.5 TDB · NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics |
Why these colours?
Global mosaic texture (NASA 3D Resources)
A global map stitched from spacecraft images (Viking for the moons of Mars, Voyager for the moons of Saturn and Uranus). The images are tone-matched and largely monochrome, so these tones show brightness more than colour.
From: Global mosaic texture (NASA 3D Resources) Enhanced visible colour
Colour clusters describe pixels in an image; they cannot identify a mineral, a gas or a physical temperature. Shares of pixels describe the sampled region of the image, not the object’s surface.
Colours from selected views
Palettes sampled from identified images and regions, or calculated from a documented model. These values describe each image or model, not one permanent colour of Iapetus.
Global mosaic texture (NASA 3D Resources)
Sampled from this image · Global mosaic texture (NASA 3D Resources)
#B3B3B3RGB 179, 179, 179region average#070707RGB 7, 7, 727% of the region#E7E7E7RGB 231, 231, 23124% of the region#C0C0C0RGB 192, 192, 19218% of the region#9D9D9DRGB 157, 157, 15715% of the region#707070RGB 112, 112, 11210% of the region#363636RGB 54, 54, 547% of the region
See where these colours came from
Creative palettes inspired by Iapetus
A design derived from the selected representation. It is not a scientific colour measurement. Each colour keeps the sampled colour it was made from.
Inspired by Iapetus
Inspired by this object
#2E2E2ERGB 46, 46, 46from #070707#4F4F4FRGB 79, 79, 79from #363636#727272RGB 114, 114, 114from #707070#979797RGB 151, 151, 151from #9D9D9D#BFBFBFRGB 191, 191, 191from #C0C0C0#E8E8E8RGB 232, 232, 232from #E7E7E7
Colours of the first view of Iapetus with their lightness spread evenly, for a design palette.
Explore the views and the 3D model
Pick a colour from the image. Click or tap the picture to read a colour. Picked colours are yours, not catalogue samples.
Sphere with a global map A sphere carrying a global map; the shape is a sphere, not a measured shape, and the map’s own coverage gaps are shown as they are. Objects are enlarged or scaled for inspection unless stated otherwise.
Use these colours
Every palette above opens in the palette generator. With JavaScript you can also add colours to your cosmic palette, save them, make a gradient or pattern, preview them in a design or a room (you choose which colour goes on which surface), check digital accessibility and export them. Each colour keeps the view and sample it came from.
Paint matches compare digital swatches for design inspiration. They are not physical equivalents of light from space. Edits create a new design palette. The original representation remains unchanged.
Sources
- 3D Resources — NASA
- Global mosaic texture (NASA 3D Resources) — NASA 3D Resources
- Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters — NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
- Planetary Satellite Mean Elements — NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
Image credits
- Global mosaic texture (NASA 3D Resources): NASA/JPL-Caltech (Voyager mosaic). NASA 3D Resources (free, without copyright; NASA media guidelines). Resized for the web from the publisher’s file (sha256 9acb66830defdeffcf7938976c737d772600d9bc808e8cf45829690e8d1c7405).
Images were resized once for the web; colours were measured from the published files (k-means in OKLab, pcke-oklab-kmeans-1); calculated colours use the CIE 1931 2° observer. Facts last reviewed 25 October 2026. Catalogue pcke-cosmos-2026-10-25, page revision 86e684be9eb0. No ESA, ESO or NASA endorsement is implied.