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Telesto (moon)

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Telesto
Telesto as seen by the Cassini probe on 11 October 2005
Discovery
Discovered by
Discovery dateApril 8, 1980
Designations
Designation
Saturn XIII
Pronunciation/təˈlɛstoʊ/
Named after
Τελεστώ Telestō
Tethys B
S/1980 S 13
AdjectivesTelestoan /tɛləˈstoʊ.ən/ or Telestoian /tɛləˈstoʊ.iən/
Orbital characteristics[1]: 4 
294670 km
Eccentricity0.001
1.88780 d
Inclination1.18° (to Saturn's equator)
Satellite ofSaturn
Physical characteristics
Dimensions33.2 × 23.4 × 19.2 km
(± 0.6 × 0.6 × 0.4 km)[2]: 2 
24.6±0.6 km[2]: 2 
Volume7795 km3[a]
Mass≈ 3.9×1015 kg[b]
Mean density
≈ 0.5 g/cm3[c]
≈ 0.0011–0.0014 m/s2[2]: 3 
≈ 0.006 km/s at longest axis
to ≈ 0.007 km/s at poles
synchronous[2]: 4 
assumed zero
Albedo0.97±0.04 (geometric)[4]: 325 
18.7[5]

Telesto /təˈlɛstoʊ/ is a natural satellite 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.[6] In the following months, several other apparitions were observed: S/1980 S 24,[7] S/1980 S 33,[8] and S/1981 S 1.[9]

In 1983 it was officially named after Telesto of Greek mythology.[d] It is also designated as Saturn XIII or Tethys B.

Telesto is co-orbital with Tethys, residing in Tethys's leading Lagrangian point (L4). This relationship was first identified by Seidelmann et al. in 1981.[10] Another moon, Calypso, resides in the other (trailing) Lagrangian point of Tethys, 60 degrees in the other direction from Tethys. The Saturnian system has two additional trojan moons.

Exploration

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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.

References

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Calculated from Telesto's volume-equivalent sphere radius of 12.3±0.3 km given by Thomas et al. (2020)[2]: 2 
  2. ↑ Calculated by multiplying Telesto's volume with its presumed density of 500 kg/m3.
  3. ↑ Density presumed from analyzing topographic features.[3]: 390 
  4. ↑ Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, Vol. XVIIIA, 1982 (confirms Janus, names Epimetheus, Telesto, Calypso) (mentioned in IAUC 3872)

Citations

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Sources

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  • Hamilton, Calvin J. "Saturn's Trojan Moon Telesto". SolarViews.com. SolarViews. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  • Marsden, Brian G. (April 10, 1980). "Satellites of Saturn" (discovery). IAU Circular (3466). Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  • Marsden, Brian G. (June 6, 1980). "Satellites of Saturn". IAU Circular (3484). Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  • Marsden, Brian G. (April 16, 1981). "Satellites of Saturn". IAU Circular (3593). Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  • Marsden, Brian G. (May 18, 1981). "Satellites of Saturn". IAU Circular (3605). Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  • Marsden, Brian G. (September 30, 1983). "Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn". IAU Circular (3872). Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  • Seidelmann, P. K.; Harrington, R. S.; Pascu, D.; Baum, W. A.; Currie, D. G.; Westphal, J. A.; Danielson, G. E. (1981). "Saturn satellite observations and orbits from the 1980 ring plane crossing". Icarus. 47 (2): 282. Bibcode:1981Icar...47..282S. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(81)90172-X.
  • Thomas, P. C. (July 2010). "Sizes, shapes, and derived properties of the saturnian satellites after the Cassini nominal mission" (PDF). Icarus. 208 (1): 395–401. Bibcode:2010Icar..208..395T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.01.025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
  • Thomas, P. C.; Helfenstein, P. (July 2020). "The small inner satellites of Saturn: Shapes, structures and some implications". Icarus. 344: 20. Bibcode:2020Icar..34413355T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2019.06.016. S2CID 197474587. 113355.
  • Ciarniello, Mauro; Filacchione, Gianrico; Nicholson, Philip D.; Hedman, Matthew M.; Charnoz, Sebastien; Cuzzi, Jeffrey N.; El Moutamid, Maryame; Hendrix, Amanda R.; Rambaux, Nicolas; Miller, Kelly E.; Mousis, Olivier; Baillié, Kevin; Estrada, Paul R.; Waite, J. Hunter (2024-09-17). "The Origin and Composition of Saturn's Ring Moons". Space Science Reviews. 220 (7): 72. Bibcode:2024SSRv..220...72C. doi:10.1007/s11214-024-01103-z. ISSN 1572-9672.
  • Verbiscer, Anne J.; Helfenstein, Paul; Buratti, Bonnie J.; Royer, Emilie (2018). "Surface Properties of Saturn's Icy Moons from Optical Remote Sensing". In Schenk, Paul M.; Clark, Roger Nelson; Howett, Carly J.A.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Waite, John Hunter (eds.). Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn. Space Science Series. Vol. 322. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. pp. 323–341. Bibcode:2018eims.book..323V. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816537075-ch016. ISBN 978-0-8165-3707-5. JSTOR j.ctv65sw2b.31. LCCN 2017056126. OCLC 1055049948.
  • Thomas, P.C.; Tiscareno, M.S.; Helfenstein, P. (2018). "The Inner Small Satellites of Saturn, and Hyperion". In Schenk, Paul M.; Clark, Roger Nelson; Howett, Carly J.A.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Waite, John Hunter (eds.). Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn. Space Science Series. Vol. 322. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. pp. 387–408. Bibcode:2018eims.book..387T. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816537075-ch019. ISBN 978-0-8165-3707-5. JSTOR j.ctv65sw2b.36. LCCN 2017056126. OCLC 1055049948.
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