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Table of Contents | Enchanted Learning All About Astronomy |
Site Index |
Our Solar System | Stars | Glossary | Printables, Worksheets, and Activities | ||||||
The Sun | The Planets | The Moon | Asteroids | Kuiper Belt | Comets | Meteors | Astronomers |
Your weight on the Planets | The Planets | Your age on the Planets |
SATURN |
General Description |
Inside Saturn and the Atmosphere | Rings | Moons | Activities, Web Links |
SATURN'S MOONS |
Moon | Discovery Distance from the center of Saturn (km) Orbital period (Earth days) | Radius (km) Mass (kg) |
---|---|---|
Pan | Discovered: Mark R. Showalter/Voyager 2, 1990 Distance from Saturn: 133,583km Orbital period: 0.5750 day | Radius: 10 km Mass: unknown |
Located within the Encke Gap in the rings | ||
Atlas | Discovered: R. Terrile/Voyager 1, 1980 Distance from Saturn: 137,670km Orbital period: 0.6019 day | Radius: 18.5x17.2x13.5 km Mass: unknown |
A shepherd satellite for Saturn's A-ring. | ||
Prometheus | Discovered: S. A. Collins & D. Carlson/Voyager 1, 1980 Distance from Saturn: 139,353km Orbital period: 0.613 day | Radius: 74x50x34 km Mass: unknown |
A shepherd satellite for the inner edge of Saturn's F Ring. | ||
Pandora | Discovered: S. A. Collins & D. Carlson/Voyager 1, 1980 Distance from Saturn: 141,700km Orbital period: 0.6285 day | Radius: 55x44x31 km Mass: unknown |
A shepherd satellite for the outer edge of Saturn's F Ring. | ||
Epimetheus | Discovered: R. Walker/1966 and J. Fountain, S. Larson/1978 Distance from Saturn: 151,422km Orbital period: 0.694 day | Radius: 69x55x55 km Mass: 5.4 x 10 17kg |
Covered by grooves, valleys, and craters over 30 km in diameter. Shares orbit with Janus (they are only separated by about 50 kilometers (31 miles)). Once every four years they approach each other, exchange some momentum and switch orbits. | ||
Janus | Discovered: Audouin Dollfus, 1966 Distance from Saturn: 151,472km Orbital period: 0.694 day | Radius: 97x95x77 km Mass: 1.92 x 10 18kg |
Heavily cratered (craters over 30 km in diameter). Shares orbit with Epimetheus (they are only separated by about 50 kilometers (31 miles)). Once every four years they approach each other, exchange some momentum and switch orbits. | ||
Mimas | Discovered: William Herschel, 1789 Distance from Saturn: 185,520km Orbital period: 0.942 day | Radius: 209x196x191.4 km Mass: 3.75 x 10 19kg |
Icy, heavily-cratered surface. Huge crater, Herschel, is 80 miles (130 km) wide. Herschel's central mountain is 4 miles (6 km) tall, about 2/3 the height of Mount Everest. Very low temperatures (-200° C = -328°F). | ||
Enceladus | Discovered: William Herschel, 1789 Distance from Saturn: 238,020km Orbital period: 1.37 days | Radius: Radius: 256x247x244.6 km Mass: 7 x 10 19kg |
Bright, smooth surface. Reflects almost all of the sunlight that hits it and is very cold ( -201° C = -330° F). 5 different types of terrain, suggesting a liquid interior: small craters, plains, fissures, corrugated terrain, and resurfaced areas. | ||
Tethys | Discovered: G.D. Cassini, 1684 Distance from Saturn: 294,660km Orbital period: 1.89 days | Radius: 535.6x528x526 km Mass: 6.27 x 10 20kg |
Icy surface with craters, many cracks and plains. One huge ice trench, the Ithaca Chasma, is 40 miles (65 km) wide and extends over 3/4 of the way around the moon. A water-ice interior composition (density =1.21 gm/cm3). Surface temperature is -187° C = -305° F. | ||
Telesto | Discovered: B. Smith, H. Reitsema, S. Larson, J. Fountain, 1980 Distance from Saturn: 294,660km (leads Tethys) Orbital period: 1.89 days | Radius: 15x12.5x7.5 km Mass: unknown |
Shares an orbit with Calypso; these 2 moons are also called the Tethys Trojans because they orbit Saturn in Tethys orbit, Telesto is 60° ahead of Tethys, Calypso is 60° behind Tethys. | ||
Calypso | Discovered: B. Smith, H. Reitsema, S. Larson, J. Fountain, 1980 Distance from Saturn: 294,660km (trails Tethys) Orbital period: 1.89 days | Radius: 15.0x8.0x8.0 km Mass: unknown |
Shares an orbit with Calypso; these 2 moons are also called the Tethys Trojans because they orbit Saturn in Tethys' orbit, Telesto is 60° ahead of Tethys, Calypso is 60° behind Tethys. | ||
Dione | Discovered: G.D. Cassini, 1684 Distance from Saturn: 377,400 km Orbital period: 2.74 days | Radius: 560 km Mass: 1.10 x 10 21kg |
Icy surface with craters, plains and streaks of bright material. Some craters over 100 km wide. Its density is 1.43 gm/cm3, the densest moon of Saturn, indicating a large rocky core. | ||
Helene | Discovered: P. Laques & J. Lecacheus, 1980 Distance from Saturn: 377,400 km (leads Dione) Orbital period: 2.74 days | Radius: 18x16x15 km Mass: unknown |
Shares orbit with Dione, leads it by 60°. | ||
Rhea | Discovered: G.D. Cassini,1672 Distance from Saturn: 527,040 km Orbital period: 4.52 days | Radius: 764 km Mass: 2.31 x 1021kg |
Icy surface with craters, plains and bright streaks. No atmosphere. Its density is 1.33 gm/cm3, indicating a small, rocky core covered with water-ice. | ||
Titan | Discovered: C. Huygens, 1655 Distance from Saturn: 1,221,830 km Orbital period: 15.9 days | Radius: 2,575 km Mass: 1.3455 x 10 23kg |
Biggest moon of Saturn and second largest moon in Solar System (after Jupiter's Ganymede). It is larger than the planets Mercury and Pluto. Titan has a thick mostly nitrogen atmosphere (with some methane) and an atmospheric pressure of 1.6 bars (60 percent greater than the Earth's). This atmosphere with its heavy clouds obscures the moon's surface. It may rain liquid methane. The surface temperature is about -178°C = -289°F. | ||
Hyperion | Discovered: W. & G. Bond/W. Lassell, 1848 Distance from Saturn: 1,481,100 km Orbital period: 21.27 days | Radius: 180x140x112.5 km Mass: 2 x 10 19kg |
Hyperion is the largest-known irregular-shaped body. It has a reddish color. Surface marred with craters. Variable rotational period. | ||
Iapetus | Discovered: G.D. Cassini,1671 Distance from Saturn: 3,561,300 km Orbital period: 79.33 days | Radius: 718 km Mass: 1.6 x 10 21kg |
A rocky moon that is partly bright and partly reddish in color. Craters on surface. | ||
Phoebe | Discovered: W. Pickering, 1898 Distance from Saturn: 12,952,000 km Orbital period: 550.48 days (retrograde orbit) | Radius: 110 km Mass: 4 x 10 18kg |
Almost circular shape, reddish color. Orbits in a retrograde direction (opposite in direction to other satellites' orbits). Rotates on its axis every 9 hours (this is unlike the other moons of Saturn, except Hyperion, which always show the same face to Saturn). Phoebe may be a captured asteroid. | ||
Moon | Discovery Distance from the center of Saturn (km) Orbital period (Earth days) | Radius (km) Mass (kg) |
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