Rhea (moon) facts for kids
Cassini view of Rhea's anti-Saturnian hemisphere, showing the moon's two largest impact basins (Mamaldi above and left of center, and adjacent Tirawa to its upper right). At highest resolution, several long linear features are visible: halfway down from center is Harahvaiti Fossa, while near the limb left of the bottom is Koykamou Catena.
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| Discovery | |||||||||
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| Discovered by | G. D. Cassini | ||||||||
| Discovery date | December 23, 1672 | ||||||||
| Designations | |||||||||
| Saturn V | |||||||||
| Adjectives | Rhean | ||||||||
| Orbital characteristics | |||||||||
| 527 108 km | |||||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.001 258 3 | ||||||||
| 4.518 212 d | |||||||||
| Inclination | 0.345° (to Saturn's equator) | ||||||||
| Satellite of | Saturn | ||||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||||
| Dimensions | 1532.4×1525.6×1524.4 km | ||||||||
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Mean radius
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763.8 ± 1.0 km | ||||||||
| 7 337 000 km² | |||||||||
| Mass | (2.306 518 ± 0.000 353)×1021 kg (~3.9×10−4 Earths) | ||||||||
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Mean density
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1.236 ± 0.005 g/cm³ | ||||||||
| 0.265 m/s² | |||||||||
| 0.635 km/s | |||||||||
| 4.518 212 d (synchronous) |
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| zero | |||||||||
| Albedo | 0.949 ± 0.003 (geometric) | ||||||||
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| 10 | |||||||||
Rhea ( Ancient Greek: Ῥέᾱ) is Saturn's second largest moon. It is made of ice and rock.
Ring system
Rhea may have a thin ring system with three narrow bands in a disk of solid particles. These would be the first rings seen around a moon. The discovery was announced in the journal Science on March 6, 2008.
Images for kids
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Giovanni Domenico Cassini, discoverer of Rhea in 1672
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Surface features on Rhea well defined due to the lighting.
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Closeup showing two craters on Rhea's surface taken in 2013 by Cassini spacecraft.
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An artist's impression of Rhea's rings
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Image of the wispy hemisphere, showing ice cliffs - Powehiwehi (upper center); chasmata stretch from upper left to right center - Onokoro Catenae (lower right).
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View of Rhea's leading hemisphere with crater Inktomi and its prominent ray system just below center; impact basin Tirawa is at upper left
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Enhanced-color views of Rhea taken by Cassini on 9 February 2015
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Rhea's horizon viewed on 10 February 2015.
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See also
In Spanish: Rea (satélite) para niños
