Dione |
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| Dione satellites of Saturn |
category : satellites of planets |
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Dione was discovered in 1672 by Giovanni Domenico Cassini. Dione mainly consists of water in the form of ice; but, in view of its density higher than that of the other moons of Saturn (except Titan, whose density is increased by the gravitational compression), it contains probably a rather important quantity of denser matter, such as rocks of silicates. The sights taken in 500 kilometers of distance, allow to confirm that the observed white volutes are gigantic cliffs of ice which covering Dione. Dione is in synchronous rotation with Saturn, it makes a revolution on herself for a rotation around Saturn. |
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The surface of Dione |
category : satellites of planets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The surface of Dione was modeled by it a cryovolcanic
intense activity as its sister Enceladus, the other satellite of Saturn.
Enceladus is younger than Dione, and its activity is thus more recent,
more intense. This tectonic activity is certainly the reason for which
seem these today streak whites. |
This oddity can be of for a violent impact which would have knocked down Dione on its orbit. The simulations showed, considering the size and considering the mass of the satellite, that an impact 35 km in diameter would have been able to be sufficient to make this reversal. Dione possesses several bigger impacts than it, it was able to be so knocked down several times. The current state of the surface shows us that Dione did not change position on its orbit since several billion years. The albedo of Dione decreases as we move of before in front of the back face. It is probably of in a more important layer of deposits meteoritic, what confirms the theory according to which Dione is blocked in synchronous rotation since billions of years. |
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Related subjects |
category : satellites of saturn |
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| Astronomy - october 15th 2007 |