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Like Jupiter, Saturn has several icy moons and
small asteroid-like objects in orbit around the planet. Their sizes
range from 5150 kilometers (3200 miles) down to 20 kilometers (12 miles)
in diameter, although smaller satellites are likely to exist.
Both the orbital dynamics of these moons and their distinctly different compositions make the Saturnian satellites a small-scale analog of our solar system. Six of Saturn's moons are shown in the image at left. Dione is in foreground, Tethys and Mimas to the right of Saturn, Enceladus and Rhea off Saturn's rings to the left, and Titan at top right. |
18K JPEG Montage of Saturnian System constructed from Voyager 1 imagery. NASA Press Release #P23209 Credit: NASA Planetary Photojournal |
Name |
Discoverer |
Diameter |
Distance from Saturn |
Orbital Period (days) |
Pan | Showalter, 1990 | 20 km/12 mi | 134,000 km/83,260 mi | .58 |
Atlas | Terrile, 1980 | 30 km/19 mi | 137,640 km/85,500 mi | .60 |
Prometheus | Collins, 1980 | 100 km/62 mi | 139,350 km/86,600 mi | .61 |
Pandora | Collins, 1980 | 90 km/56 mi | 141,700 km/88,000 mi | .63 |
Epimetheus | Walker, 1966 | 120 km/75 mi | 151,420 km/94,090 mi | .69 |
Janus | Dolfus, 1966 | 190 km/118 mi | 151,470 km/94,120 mi | .70 |
Mimas | Herschel, 1789 | 390 km/242 mi | 185,520 km/115,280 mi | .94 |
Enceladus | Herschel, 1789 | 500 km/311 mi | 238,020 km/147,900 mi | 1.37 |
Tethys | Cassini, 1684 | 1,060 km/659 mi | 294,660 km/183,000 mi | 1.89 |
Telesto | Smith, 1980 | 25 km/16 mi | 294,660 km/183,000 mi | 1.89 |
Calypso | Smith, 1980 | 25 km/16 mi | 294,660 km/183,000 mi | 1.89 |
Dione | Cassini, 1684 | 1,120 km/696 mi | 377,400 km/234,500 mi | 2.74 |
Helene | Laques/Lecacheux,1980 | 30 km/19 mi | 377,400 km/234,500 mi | 2.74 |
Rhea | Cassini, 1672 | 1,530 km/951 mi | 527,040 km/327,500 mi | 4.52 |
Titan | Huygens, 1655 | 5,150 km/3,200 mi | 1,221,850 km/759,200 mi | 15.95 |
Hyperion | Bond, 1971 | 255 km/159 mi | 1,481,000 km/920,300 mi | 21.28 |
Iapetus | Cassini, 1671 | 1,460 km/907 mi | 3,561,300 km/2,212,900 mi | 79.33 |
Phoebe | Pickering, 1898 | 220 km/137 mi | 12,952,000 km/8,048,000 mi | 550.48 |
S/2000 S1 |
2000** | 10-50 km/6-30 mi | >15,000,000 km/9,000,000 mi |
? |
S/2000 S2 |
2000** | 10-50 km/6-30 mi | >15,000,000 km/9,000,000 mi |
? |
S/2000 S3 |
2000** | 10-50 km/6-30 mi | >15,000,000 km/9,000,000 mi |
? |
S/2000 S4 | 2000** | 10-50 km/6-30 mi | >15,000,000 km/9,000,000 mi |
? |
As many as 8 more satellites of Saturn have been found and scientists continue to search for more. |
** | International Team: | Burns, Gladman, Holman, Kavelaars, Marsden, Nicholson, Petit, Scholl |
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