Dione
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Giovanni Domenico Cassini |
| Discovery site | N/A |
| Discovery date | N/A |
| Detection method | N/A |
| Orbital Characteristics | |
| Semi-major axis | 377,400 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.0022 |
| Orbital period | 2.736915 days |
| Inclination | N/A |
Dione is a natural satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1684. Dione is the fifteenth-largest moon in the Solar System and the fourth-largest moon of Saturn.
Physical characteristics[edit]
Dione has a mean radius of 561.4 km and a mass of 1.09552 × 10^21 kg. Its density is 1.478 g/cm³, which suggests that it is composed of a mixture of water ice and silicate rock. The surface of Dione is heavily cratered, with a number of bright ice cliffs and fractures.
Orbit and rotation[edit]
Dione orbits Saturn at a distance of approximately 377,400 km. It has a very low orbital eccentricity of 0.0022 and completes one orbit around Saturn in about 2.736915 days. Dione is in synchronous rotation with Saturn, meaning that it always shows the same face to the planet.
Surface features[edit]
The surface of Dione is marked by a variety of geological features, including craters, chasms, and ice cliffs. The most prominent feature is the Janiculum Dorsa, a large ridge that stretches across the moon's surface. Other notable features include the Carrel Crater and the Padua Chasmata.
Subsatellites[edit]
Dione has two known trojan moons, Helene and Polydeuces, which share its orbit around Saturn.
Exploration[edit]
Dione has been studied by several spacecraft, including the Voyager missions and the Cassini spacecraft. These missions have provided detailed images and data about Dione's surface and composition.
See also[edit]
- List of natural satellites
- Moons of Saturn
- Giovanni Domenico Cassini
- Voyager program
- Cassini–Huygens
Related pages[edit]
