Telesto (moon)
 Telesto as seen by the Cassini probe in October 2005 |
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
|
| Discovery date | April 8, 1980 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Semi-major axis | 294,619 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.000 |
| Orbital period | 1.887802 d [1] |
| Inclination | 1.19° (to Saturn's equator) |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 32.6×23.6×20.0 km³ [2] |
| Mean radius | 12.4 ± 0.4 km [2] |
| Rotation period | synchronous |
| Axial tilt | zero |
| Apparent magnitude | 18.7 [3] |
Telesto (pron.: /tɨˈlɛstoʊ/ tə-LES-toh, Greek: Τελεστώ) is a moon of Saturn. It was discovered by Smith, Reitsema, Larson and Fountain in 1980 from ground-based observations, and was provisionally designated S/1980 S 13.[4] In the following months, several other apparitions were observed: S/1980 S 24,[5] S/1980 S 33,[6] and S/1981 S 1.[7]
In 1983 it was officially named after Telesto of Greek mythology.[a] It is also designated as Saturn XIII or Tethys B.
Telesto is co-orbital with Tethys, residing in Tethys' leading Lagrangian point (L4). This relationship was first identified by Seidelmann et al. in 1981.[8] Another moon, Calypso, resides in the other (trailing) Lagrangian point of Tethys, 60 degrees in the other direction from Tethys. (The Saturnian system has two additional trojan moons.)
Exploration [edit]
The Cassini probe performed a distant flyby of Telesto on October 11, 2005. The resulting images show that its surface is surprisingly smooth, devoid of small impact craters.
Citations [edit]
References [edit]
- Hamilton, Calvin J. "Saturn's Trojan Moon Telesto". SolarViews.com. SolarViews. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- Marsden, Brian G. (April 10, 1980). "Satellites of Saturn" (discovery). IAU Circular 3466. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- Marsden, Brian G. (June 6, 1980). "Satellites of Saturn". IAU Circular 3484. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- Marsden, Brian G. (April 16, 1981). "Satellites of Saturn". IAU Circular 3593. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- Marsden, Brian G. (May 18, 1981). "Satellites of Saturn". IAU Circular 3605. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- Marsden, Brian G. (September 30, 1983). "Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn". IAU Circular 3872. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- Seidelmann, P. K.; Harrington, R. S.; Pascu, D.; Baum, W. A.; Currie, D. G.; Westphal, J. A.; Danielson, G. E. (1981). "Saturn satellite observations and orbits from the 1980 ring plane crossing". Icarus 47 (2): 282. Bibcode:1981Icar...47..282S. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(81)90172-X.
- Thomas, P. C. (July 2010). "Sizes, shapes, and derived properties of the saturnian satellites after the Cassini nominal mission". Icarus 208 (1): 395–401. Bibcode:2010Icar..208..395T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.01.025.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Telesto |
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