Dione

Dione is a moon of Saturn that Giovanni Cassini discovered in 1684.[1]

Findings

NASA gives Dione a mean radius of about 562 kilometres and an orbit around Saturn lasting about 2.7 days.[1] Dione's bulk is roughly two-thirds ice around a stony centre, consistent with a density of 1.48 relative to water.[1] Cassini flybys from 2005 showed that Dione's bright wispy lines are icy canyon walls, likely formed as the surface cracked and sank.[1] Helene leads Dione by 60 degrees along its path, and Polydeuces trails it by the same angle.[1] JPL lists a mean radius of 561.40 kilometres for Dione.[2] ESA identifies Dione's wispy surface markings as tectonic fractures.[3]

Sources

  1. Dione | NASA Science. Licence: facts-only (Track B), no text or images reused. Attribution: NASA.
  2. Planetary Physical Parameters | NASA JPL. Licence: facts-only (Track B), no text reused. Attribution: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
  3. Some Cassini-Huygens science highlights | ESA. Licence: facts-only (Track B), no text reused. Attribution: European Space Agency.

Evidence as of .