Telesto (moon)
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Telesto as seen by the Cassini probe in October 2005
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Discovery
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| Discovered by | Smith, Reitsema, Larson, Fountain |
| Discovery date | April 8, 1980 |
| 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 |
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Physical characteristics
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| Dimensions | 29 × 22 × 20 km³ [2] |
| Mean radius | 11.8 ± 1.0 km[2] |
| Rotation period | synchronous |
| Axial tilt | zero |
| Apparent magnitude | 18.7[3] |
Telesto (pronounced /tɨˈlɛstoʊ/ tə-LES-toe, or as 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.[8] 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.[9] The moon Calypso also resides in the other (trailing) lagrangian point of Tethys, 60 degrees in the other direction from Tethys.
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.
[edit] References
- ^ NASA Celestia
- ^ a b Porco, C.C. et al. (2006). "Physical Characteristics and Possible Accretionary Origins for Saturn's Small Satellites". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 37: 768.
- ^ Telesto Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ IAUC 3466: Satellites of Saturn 1980 April 10 (discovery)
- ^ IAUC 3484: Satellites of Saturn 1980 June 6,
- ^ IAUC 3605: Satellites of Saturn 1981 May 18
- ^ IAUC 3593: Satellites of Saturn 1981 April 16
- ^ Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, Vol. XVIIIA, 1982 (confirms Janus, names Epimetheus, Telesto, Calypso) (mentioned in IAUC 3872: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, 1983 September 30)
- ^ Seidelmann, P. K.; Harrington, R. S.; Pascu, D.; Baum, W. A.; Currie, D. G.; Westphal, J. A.; and Danielson, G. E.; Saturn Satellite Observations and Orbits from the 1980 Ring Plane Crossing, Icarus, Vol. 47 (August 1981), pp. 282–287
[edit] External links
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