Saturn's Telesto - Count The Craters

Greg Bryant · #1 13-10-2005, 09:55 PM

One of Saturn's little moons is Telesto. It shares the same orbit as Tethys. Discovered in 1980, it's only 30x15km in size.

Cassini imaged this moon on October 11th.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedi...iImageID=51703

They don't come much smoother!

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #2 13-10-2005, 10:05 PM

Wow Greg, it's like a drop of milk falling!!!

Starkler (Geoff) · #3 13-10-2005, 10:24 PM

Who thinks of these names ?

toetoe (Peter) · #4 13-10-2005, 11:30 PM

How can they call that a moon when it looks like a rock..

atalas · #5 13-10-2005, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toetoe

How can they call that a moon when it looks like a rock..

Yeah good point ! It looks like an asteroid to me

Louie

iceman (Mike) · #6 14-10-2005, 06:52 AM

It probably is a captured asteroid.

I'm continually amazed by what the Cassini mission is producing. Absolutely incredible mission.

#7 14-10-2005, 07:15 AM

Yup! looks like an asteroid to me too!

But then again, I'm no asteroid expert either, kinda looks a lil bit like a very
smooth 9/P Tempel 1.

regards,CS

33South (Chris) · #8 14-10-2005, 08:58 AM

Could it be ice ?
Looks sort of like a very large hailstone to me.

ving (David) · #9 14-10-2005, 12:42 PM

smooth as a babys rearend!

looks a bit asteriodish to me too

davidpretorius · #10 14-10-2005, 03:17 PM

thanks greg, so much to seem so little time.

i am beginning to think that this hobby of mine will take more than a year to master!!.

psst can you send november's AS&T a bit early?

Greg Bryant · #11 14-10-2005, 03:33 PM

Starkler,

When moons (satellites) are discovered, the discoverers get to propose a name to the IAU, which approves them if they're suitable (and in keeping with general themes that the IAU Committee likes). The names typically come from mythology (or in Uranus' case, characters from Shakespeare). Telesto in Greek mythology was a daughter of Tethys.

What constitutes a moon? Many of the planetary satellites are irregular in shape, and perhaps asteroidal (ie. captured) in origin. There have been dozens of new moons found in recent years that are little more than a few km in size.

David - the November AS&T is back from the printers and is in the process of being mailed out.

davidpretorius · #12 14-10-2005, 03:39 PM

thanks greg

ving (David) · #13 14-10-2005, 03:43 PM

besides if we decided that every orbiting body that was of irregular shape wasn't a moon but a captures asteriod then mars wouldnt have any moons

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #14 17-10-2005, 09:10 AM

What is truely amazing though are asteroids with their own tiny orbiting moons.