Telesto (moon) facts for kids
Telesto is a small moon that orbits the giant planet Saturn. It's one of Saturn's many moons, and it's quite tiny! Scientists first found Telesto in 1980 by looking at Saturn from Earth.
Telesto gets its name from Telesto, a character in ancient Greek mythology. This little moon has a special job: it travels around Saturn right alongside a much bigger moon called Tethys. Because of this unique dance, Telesto is known as a Trojan moon. It stays about 60 degrees ahead of Tethys as they both orbit Saturn. Another small moon, Calypso, also shares this interesting path with Telesto.
Discovering Telesto
Scientists discovered Telesto in 1980. They used powerful telescopes on Earth to observe Saturn and its moons. Finding such a small moon from so far away was a great achievement! Its discovery helped us learn more about the complex system of moons orbiting Saturn.
Telesto's Special Orbit
Telesto is famous for its unique orbit. It shares its path around Saturn with the much larger moon Tethys. Telesto is called a "Trojan moon" because it stays in a special, stable spot in Tethys's orbit. Imagine Tethys as a big car driving around a track. Telesto is like a tiny car that always stays exactly 60 degrees ahead of the big car on the same track. This kind of orbit is very stable due to the gravity of Saturn and Tethys working together.
Another small moon, Calypso, is also a Trojan moon of Tethys. But Calypso follows Tethys, staying 60 degrees behind it. So, Tethys has two tiny companions, Telesto and Calypso, that share its orbital path in a cosmic dance!
Exploring Saturn's Moons
Saturn is known for having many moons, more than 80! Each moon is unique. Missions like Cassini-Huygens have helped us learn a lot about Saturn and its moons, including Telesto. The Cassini spacecraft took amazing pictures and gathered important information about these distant worlds. These missions help us understand how planets and moons form and change over time.
