ESA title
Saturn's satellites and ring structures
Science & Exploration

Saturn's moons

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ESA / Science & Exploration / Space Science / Cassini-Huygens

Saturn has over 60 moons, with a handful discovered thanks to the Cassini mission.

The table below highlights some of the moons already known to exist at Saturn.

 Name Distance to Saturn centre (km) Diameter (km) Orbit period (Earth days) Discovered by
Pan 133 583 20 0.58 Mark R. Showalter. Voyager 2, 1990
Atlas 137 670 27 x 37 0.60 R. Terrile. Voyager 1, 1980
Prometheus 139 353 68 x 148 0.61 S.A. Collins. D. Carlson. Voyager 1, 1980
Pandora 141 700 52 x 110 0.63 S. A. Collins. D. Carlson. Voyager 1, 1980
Epimetheus 151 422 110 x 138 0.69 R. Walker. J. Fountain. S. Larson, 1966/1978
Janus 151 472 154 x 194 0.69 Audouin Dollfus, 1966
Mimas 185 520 383 x 418 0.94 William Herschel, 1789
Enceladus 238 020 489 x 513 1.37 William Herschel, 1789
Tethys 294 660 1051 x 1071 1.89 G.D. Cassini, 1684
Telesto 294 660 15 x 30 1.89 B. Smith. H. Reitsema. S. Larson. J. Fountain, 1980
Calypso 294 660 16 x 30 1.89 D. Pascu. P.K. Seidelmann. W. Baum. D. Currie, 1980
Dione 377 400 1120 2.74 G.D. Cassini, 1684
Helene 377 400 30 x 36 2.74 P. Laques. J. Lecacheus, 1980
Rhea 527 040 1528 4.52 G.D. Cassini, 1672
Titan 1 221 830 5150 15.95 C. Huygens, 1655
Hyperion 1 481 100 225 x 360 21.28 W. & G. Bond. W. Lassell, 1848
Iapetus 3 561 300 1436 79.33 G.D. Cassini, 1671
Phoebe 12 952 000 220 550.48* W. Pickering, 1898

There are another 13 moons without official data. Their names are: Ymir, Paaliaq, Siarnaq, Tarvos, Kiviuq, Ijiraq, Thrym, Skadi/Skathi, Mundilfari, Erriapo, Albiorix, Suttung/Suttungr and S/2003 S1.

* indicates 'retrograde' orbit, i.e. the opposite way to the other moons.

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