Dione
Dione
Moon of Saturn
Dione facts
- Orbits
- Saturn
- Distance from Saturn
- 377,400 km (6.5 Saturn-radii)
- Orbital period
- 2.7 days
- Diameter
- 1,123 km
- Mass
- 1.1 × 10²¹ kg
- Orbital inclination
- 0.02°
- Tidally locked
- Yes
- Discovered
- 1684, by Giovanni Cassini
Dione orbits Saturn
Watch Dione (highlighted) circle Saturn. Press play; the moons run at their real relative speeds.
Relative sizes and spacing are compressed; orbits shown coplanar. Click a moon for its page.
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About Dione
Dione is a mid-sized icy moon of Saturn whose trailing side is laced with bright, wispy streaks. Cassini spacecraft images revealed these are not clouds but a network of tall ice cliffs formed by fracturing of the crust.
- Named after a Titaness of Greek myth
- Discovered: 1684, by Giovanni Cassini
Dione: frequently asked questions
- What is Dione?
- Dione is a mid-sized icy moon of Saturn whose trailing side is laced with bright, wispy streaks.
- What planet does Dione orbit?
- Dione orbits Saturn at an average distance of about 377,400 km, completing one lap every 2.7 days.
- How big is Dione?
- Dione has a diameter of about 1,123 km and a mass of roughly 1.1 × 10²¹ kg.
- Why is Dione famous?
- Dione's claim to fame: its trailing hemisphere is streaked with bright ice cliffs, once mistaken for wispy clouds.
See Dione in motion
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Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.