How old is Tethys moon?

The higher the crater density, the older the surface. This allows scientists to establish a relative chronology for Tethys. The cratered terrain is the oldest unit likely dating back to the Solar System formation 4.56 billion years ago.

What planet does Tethys orbit?

of Saturn
For almost 200 years, the moons of Saturn were referred to numerically, based on their distance from the planet. Tethys, which orbits 183,100 miles (294,660 kilometers) out, was termed Saturn III, since it is the third most distant of the major satellites.

What is the color of the moon Tethys?

The moon’s surface is fairly uniform in natural color. The color of the surface changes conspicuously across the disk, from yellowish hues to nearly white. These broad color changes are affected by a number of external processes.

Is there oxygen on Titan moon?

Titan also has a presence of organic molecules that contain carbon and hydrogen, and that often include oxygen and other elements similar to what is found in Earth’s atmosphere and that are essential for life.

What does Tethys mean?

: a Titaness and wife of Oceanus.

What is Tethys moon made of?

This may be because its proximity to Saturn causes more tidal warming, and that warming kept Tethys partially molten longer, erasing or dulling more of the early terrain. Tethys’ density is 0.97 times that of liquid water, which suggests that Tethys is composed almost entirely of water ice plus a small amount of rock.

What is the largest moon of Saturn?

Titan
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is an icy world whose surface is completely obscured by a golden hazy atmosphere. Titan is the second largest moon in our solar system. Only Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is larger, by just 2 percent. Titan is bigger than Earth’s moon, and larger than even the planet Mercury.

What does Tethys look like?

Its irregular shape is 331 miles (533 kilometers) in mean radius, with dimensions 669 x 657 x 654 miles (1076.8 x 1057.4 x 1052.6 kilometers). This cold, airless and heavily scarred body is very similar to sister moons Dione and Rhea except that Tethys is not as heavily cratered as the other two.

How far is Tethys from Earth?

1.272 billion km
Tethys/Distance to Earth

What is Tethys made of?

Tethys’ density is 0.97 times that of liquid water, which suggests that Tethys is composed almost entirely of water ice plus a small amount of rock.

How big is Tethys Moon compared to Saturn?

Tethys has a diameter of 1,066 km (662 miles), and its density of about 1.0 grams per cubic cm—the same as that of water—indicates that it is composed essentially of pure water ice. It revolves around Saturn in a prograde, circular orbit at a distance of 294,660 km (183,090 miles), which is within the planet’s broad, tenuous E ring.

Which is the correct name for the moon Tethys?

The correct adjectival form of the moon’s name is Tethyan, although other forms are also used. Tethys orbits Saturn at a distance of about 295,000 km (about 4.4 Saturn’s radii) from the center of the planet. Its orbital eccentricity is negligible, and its orbital inclination is about 1°.

How did Tethys in the Solar System get its name?

It was discovered by G. D. Cassini in 1684 and is named after the titan Tethys of Greek mythology . Tethys has a low density of 0.98 g/cm 3, the lowest of all the major moons in the Solar System, indicating that it is made of water ice with just a small fraction of rock.

Is the moon Tethys made of water or ice?

Since water is 1 g/cm 3, this means that Tethys is comprised almost entirely of water ice. In essence, if the moon were brought closer to the Sun, the vast majority of the moon would sublimate and evaporate away. It is not currently known whether Tethys is differentiated into a rocky core and ice mantle.