We know next to nothing about these moons.What role do these moons play with respect to the rings?.Terrile in 1980 from Voyager photos.Ītlas seems to be a shepherd satellite of the A ring. 1990 NASA press release about the discovery of PanĪtlas is the second of Saturn’s known satellites: orbit: 137,670 km from SaturnĪtlas was a Titan condemned by Zeus to support the heavens upon his shoulders son of Iapetus and the nymph Clymene brother of Prometheus and Epimetheus.ĭiscovered by R.

It is possible that there are more moons within Saturn’s rings yet to be discovered. The ratio between periods of these orbits is 3:2, that is, for every 3 orbits of Atlas, Mimas completes 2 orbits. Pan was discovered by reexamining the 10 year old Voyager photos at the predicted spot. Question: The tiny Saturnian moon, Atlas, is locked into what is known as an orbital resonance with another moon, Mimas, whose orbit lies outside that of Atlas. Moons of Saturn with near orbits and slightly greater than Atlas. Prior to the discovery of Pan, an analysis of the patterns in the edge of Saturn’s A ring predicted the size and location of a small moon. If we compared the Atlas images from Octoand Jwith the images that we have from other small Saturn moons, we found several remarkable differences (see image 5) Image 5. Small moons near the rings produce wave patterns in the rings. Hyperion orbits Saturn at an average distance of 933,000 miles (1,500,000 kilometers), and it takes the moon roughly 21 days to orbit Saturn. The camera system on Cassini managed to capture the moon three times. Hyperion is so small that its gravity is unable to pull the moon into a spherical shape. Measuring 1062 kilometres in diameter, Tethys is the fifth largest of Saturns moons. Pan is within the Encke Division in Saturn’s A ring. Hyperion is a small moon, having a diameter of only 168 miles (270 kilometres). For a listing of all moons, see Moons of the Planets. Its unusual shape comes from ring dust particles that impact it's equatorial region as it orbits within the Roche Division. Showalter in 1990 from Voyager photos taken in 1981 reconfirmed by images from Cassini in 2005. Atlas is a small moon near the A Ring of planet Saturn. Pan was the god of woods, fields, and flocks, having a human torso and head with a goat’s legs, horns, and ears.ĭiscovered by Mark R. Iapetus With a diameter of 1,470 km, it is the 3rd. It is the second largest moon of Saturn measuring 1,530 km across and is the 9th largest natural satellite in the solar system. Rhea Named after the mother of the Olympian gods in Greek Mythology. Pan is the innermost of Saturn’s known satellites: orbit: 133,583 km from Saturn It is believed that Titan’s environment can nurture extraterrestrial microorganisms.

Saturn moon atlas