EXPLORE


JOINRENEWJOIN

Give a Gift Membership
  

Space Topics: Saturn

Saturn's Moons and Rings

As of March 3, 2009, Saturn is known to have 61 moons. There are also numerous names for the rings and the gaps within them.

Saturn equator
60,330 kilometers from Saturn's center

D ring inner edge
67,000 kilometers from Saturn's center

C ring inner edge
74,490 kilometers from Saturn's center

Colombo gap
77,800 kilometers from Saturn's center

Maxwell gap
87,500 kilometers from Saturn's center

Bond gap
88,705 kilometers from Saturn's center

Dawes gap
90,210 kilometers from Saturn's center

B ring inner edge
91,980 kilometers from Saturn's center

Cassini division inner edge
117,500 kilometers from Saturn's center

Huygens gap
117,680 kilometers from Saturn's center

Herschel gap
118,234 kilometers from Saturn's center

Russell gap
118,614 kilometers from Saturn's center

Jeffreys gap
118,950 kilometers from Saturn's center

Kuiper gap
119,405 kilometers from Saturn's center

Laplace gap
119,967 kilometers from Saturn's center

Bessel gap
120,241 kilometers from Saturn's center

Barnard gap
120,312 kilometers from Saturn's center

A ring inner edge
122,050 kilometers from Saturn's center

Encke gap center
133,570 kilometers from Saturn's center

Here, the moons are shown at the same scale of 2 kilometers per pixel.

Pan at a scale of 2 km/pixel Pan

Atlas at a scale of 2 km/pixel Atlas

Prometheus at a scale of 2 km/pixel Prometheus

Pandora at a scale of 2 km/pixel Pandora

Janus at a scale of 2 km/pixel Janus

Epimetheus at a scale of 2 km/pixel Epimetheus

The moons below travel along the orbits of Tethys and Dione.

Telesto at a scale of 2 km/pixel Telesto

Calypso at a scale of 2 km/pixel Calypso

Helene at a scale of 2 km/pixel Helene

Pan
20 kilometers diameter; 133,600 kilometers from Saturn's center

Keeler gap center
136,530 kilometers from Saturn's center

Daphnis
7 kilometers diameter; 136,500 kilometers from Saturn's center

Roche division inner edge
136,770 kilometers from Saturn's center

Atlas
32 kilometers diameter; 137,700 kilometers from Saturn's center

Prometheus
100 kilometers diameter; 139,400 kilometers from Saturn's center

Roche division outer edge
139,380 kilometers from Saturn's center

F ring center
140,224 kilometers from Saturn's center

Pandora
84 kilometers diameter; 141,700 kilometers from Saturn's center

Janus
178 kilometers diameter; 151,500 kilometers from Saturn's center

Epimetheus
119 kilometers diameter; 151,500 kilometers from Saturn's center

G ring inner edge
166,000 kilometers from Saturn's center

Aegaeon (S/2008 S1)
Within the G ring

G ring outer edge
174,000 kilometers from Saturn's center

E ring inner edge
180,000 kilometers from Saturn's center

Here, the moons are shown at the same scale of 20 kilometers per pixel.

Mimas at a scale of 20 km/pixel Mimas

Enceladus at a scale of 20 km/pixel Enceladus

Tethys at a scale of 20 km/pixel Tethys

Dione at a scale of 20 km/pixel Dione

Rhea at a scale of 20 km/pixel Rhea

Titan at a scale of 20 km/pixel Titan

Hyperion at a scale of 20 km/pixel Hyperion

Iapetus at a scale of 20 km/pixel Iapetus

Phoebe at a scale of 20 km/pixel Phoebe

Icy Satellites

Mimas
397 kilometers diameter; 185,600 kilometers from Saturn's center

Methone
3 kilometers diameter; 194,000 kilometers from Saturn's center

Anthe
2 kilometers diameter; 197,700 kilometers from Saturn's center

Pallene
4 kilometers diameter; 211,000 kilometers from Saturn's center

Enceladus
499 kilometers diameter; 238,100 kilometers from Saturn's center

Telesto
24 kilometers diameter; 294,700 kilometers from Saturn's center

Tethys
1060 kilometers diameter; 294,700 kilometers from Saturn's center

Calypso
19 kilometers diameter; 294,700 kilometers from Saturn's center

Helene
32 kilometers diameter; 377,400 kilometers from Saturn's center

Dione
1,118 kilometers diameter; 377,400 kilometers from Saturn's center

Polydeuces
13 kilometers diameter; 377,400 kilometers from Saturn's center

E ring outer edge
480,000 kilometers from Saturn's center

Rhea
1,528 kilometers diameter; 527,100 kilometers from Saturn's center

Titan
5,150 kilometers diameter; 1,221,900 kilometers from Saturn's center

Hyperion
266 kilometers diameter; 1,464,100 kilometers from Saturn's center

Iapetus
1,436 kilometers diameter; 3,560,800 kilometers from Saturn's center

Outer, Irregular satellites

Irregular satellites of Saturn and the other giant planets tend to occur in families of bodies sharing similarly shaped orbits. Bodies that revolve around Saturn in the same direction as Saturn's rotation have "prograde" orbits; bodies that revolve backwards are called "retrograde." All of these outer satellites have inclined orbits and probably formed elsewhere in the solar system before being captured by Saturn's gravity.

Prograde orbits, with inclinations of about 34 degrees:
Albiorix (S/2000 S11): 32 kilometers diameter; 16,182,000 kilometers from Saturn
Bebhionn (S/2004 S11): 6 kilometers diameter; 17,119,000 kilometers from Saturn
Erriapo (S/2000 S10): 10 kilometers diameter; 17,343,000 kilometers from Saturn
Tarvos (S/2000 S4): 15 kilometers diameter; 17,983,000 kilometers from Saturn

Prograde orbits, with inclinations of about 46 degrees:
Kiviuq (S/2000 S5): 16 kilometers diameter; 11,111,000 kilometers from Saturn
Ijiraq (S/2000 S6): 12 kilometers diameter; 11,124,000 kilometers from Saturn
Paaliaq (S/2000 S2): 22 kilometers diameter; 15,200,000 kilometers from Saturn
Siarnaq (S/2000 S3): 40 kilometers diameter; 17,531,000 kilometers from Saturn
Tarqeq (S/2007 S1): 7 kilometers diameter; 17,920,000 kilometers from Saturn

Retrograde orbits, with an inclination of 145 degrees:
Narvi (S/2003 S1): 7 kilometers diameter; 19,007,000 kilometers from Saturn
Bestla (S/2004 S18): 7 kilometers diameter; 20,129,000 kilometers from Saturn

Retrograde orbits, with inclinations of 150 to 161 degrees:
Skathi (S/2000 S8): 8 kilometers diameter; 15,541,000 kilometers from Saturn
Skoll (S/2006 S8): 6 kilometers diameter; 17,665,000 kilomteters from Saturn
Hyrokkin (S/2004 S19): 8 kilometers diameter; 18,437,000 kilometers from Saturn
S/2006 S1: 6 kilometers diameter; 18,981,135 kilometers from Saturn
Bergelmir (S/2004 S15): 6 kilometers diameter; 19,338,000 kilometers from Saturn
Farbauti (S/2004 S09): 5 kilometers diameter; 20,390,000 kilometers from Saturn
S/2006 S3: 6 kilometers diameter; 21,132,000 kilometers from Saturn
Kari (S/2006 S2): 7 kilometers diameter; 22,118,000 kilometers from Saturn

Retrograde orbits, with inclinations of 163 to 177 degrees:
Phoebe: 120 kilometers diameter; 12,944,300 kilometers from Saturn
S/2007 S2: 6 kilometers diameter; 16,560,000 kilometers from Saturn
Griep (S/2006 S4): 6 kilometers diameter; 18,105,000 kilometers from Saturn
S/2004 S13: 6 kilometers diameter; 18,450,000 kilometers from Saturn
S/2004 S17: 4 kilometers diameter; 18,600,000 kilometers from Saturn
Mundilfari (S/2000 S9): 7 kilometers diameter; 18,685,000 kilometers from Saturn
Jarnsaxa (S/2006 S6): 6 kilometers diameter; 18,811,000 kilometers from Saturn
Suttungr (S/2000 S12): 7 kilometers diameter; 19,459,000 kilometers from Saturn
S/2004 S12: 5 kilometers diameter; 19,650,000 kilometers from Saturn
S/2004 S07: 6 kilometers diameter; 19,800,000 kilometers from Saturn
Hati (S/2004 S14): 6 kilometers diameter; 19,856,000 kilometers from Saturn
Thrymr (S/2000 S7): 7 kilometers diameter; 20,474,000 kilometers from Saturn
S/2007 S3: 5 kilometers diameter; 20,518,500 kilometers from Saturn
Aegir (S/2004 S10): 6 kilometers diameter; 20,735,000 kilometers from Saturn
Fenrir (S/2004 S16): 4 kilometers diameter; 22,453,000 kilometers from Saturn
Surtur (S/2006 S7): 6 kilometers diameter; 22,707,000 kilometers from Saturn
Ymir (S/2000 S1): 18 kilometers diameter; 23,040,000 kilometers from Saturn
Loge (S/2006 S5): 6 kilometers diameter; 23,065,000 kilometers frm Saturn
Fornjot (S/2004 S08): 6 kilometers diameter; 25,108,000 kilometers from Saturn

Check these sites for the most up-to-date facts on Saturn'ss small satellites.
Scott Sheppard's Saturn Satellite Page
NASA's Solar System Dynamics pages: Satellite Properties and Satellite Elements