Dione (moon) facts for kids
Dione is a fascinating moon that orbits the planet Saturn. It's the fourth largest moon of Saturn, measuring about 1,123 kilometers (698 miles) across. Dione was first spotted in 1684 by an astronomer named Giovanni Domenico Cassini. It's named after Dione, a powerful goddess from ancient Greek mythology. This icy moon is covered in many craters and towering ice cliffs. Dione is also "tidally locked" with Saturn, which means the same side of Dione always faces Saturn, just like our Moon always shows the same face to Earth.
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Discovering Dione
Dione was one of the first moons of Saturn ever found. Giovanni Domenico Cassini, a famous Italian astronomer, discovered it in 1684. He used a telescope to observe Saturn and its surroundings, leading to this exciting find.
What Dione Looks Like
Dione is mostly made of ice and rock. Its surface is a mix of heavily cratered areas and smoother plains. This tells scientists that some parts of Dione are very old, while others might have been changed by geological activity more recently.
Craters and Cliffs
Like many moons, Dione has lots of craters. These are formed when asteroids or comets crash into its surface. Some parts of Dione also have bright, wispy streaks. These are actually networks of ice cliffs and fractures. Scientists think these cliffs might have formed when the moon's interior expanded or contracted.
The Trailing Hemisphere
One side of Dione, called the "trailing hemisphere," is especially interesting. It has a lot of bright, fractured areas. These are sometimes called "wispy terrain." This side of the moon is always facing away from the direction Dione travels in its orbit around Saturn.
Dione's Orbit
Dione orbits Saturn at a distance of about 377,400 kilometers (234,500 miles). It takes about 2.7 Earth days for Dione to complete one trip around Saturn. Because it's tidally locked, Dione spins on its axis at the same speed it orbits Saturn.
Images for kids
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An animation showing the orbits of tiny moons Polydeuces and Helene around Saturn and Dione.
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A comparison of the sizes of Earth, our Moon, and Dione.
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Fractures on Dione's surface, cutting across older craters.
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Dione seen with another moon, Enceladus, in the background.
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A color image of Dione from the Cassini spacecraft, showing its fractured surface.
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Dione seen as a crescent shape by the Cassini spacecraft.
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The wispy terrain on Dione's trailing side, showing many fractures.
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Dione as seen by the Voyager 1 spacecraft, showing large craters.
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Features near Dione's south pole, including a huge impact basin.
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Dione in front of Saturn's beautiful rings.
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The large Evander impact basin on Dione, which is 350 km wide.
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A panorama showing fractures near the edge of Dione.
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Chasms (deep cracks) on Dione's trailing hemisphere.
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A close view of Dione's surface, showing many craters.
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The night side of Dione, lit up by light reflected from Saturn.
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Another close view of Dione.
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An even closer look at a part of Dione.
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Different types of fractures within a crater called Amastrus.
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A zoomed-in view of the fractures and craters.
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An angled close-up view of fractures on Dione.
See also
In Spanish: Dione (satélite) para niños
