What planet does Rhea orbit?

Rhea orbits Saturn at an average distance of about 527,040 km, completing one lap every 4.5 days.

Rhea has a diameter of about 1,527 km and a mass of roughly 2.31 × 10²¹ kg.

Rhea's claim to fame: Saturn's second-largest moon, an icy, heavily cratered world once suspected of having its own faint ring.

Rhea

Moon of Saturn

Rhea facts

Orbits: Saturn
Distance from Saturn: 527,040 km (9.1 Saturn-radii)
Orbital period: 4.5 days
Diameter: 1,527 km
Mass: 2.31 × 10²¹ kg
Orbital inclination: 0.35°
Tidally locked: Yes
Discovered: 1672, by Giovanni Cassini

Rhea orbits Saturn

Watch Rhea (highlighted) circle Saturn. Press play; the moons run at their real relative speeds.

SpeedRelative sizes and spacing are compressed; orbits shown coplanar. Click a moon for its page.

About Rhea

Rhea is Saturn's second-largest moon, an icy, cratered body about 1,500 km across. It is made mostly of water ice over a small rocky core, and briefly made headlines when scientists suspected it might have its own tenuous ring, which would have been unique among moons.

Named after a Titaness, mother of the gods in Greek myth
Discovered: 1672, by Giovanni Cassini

Rhea: frequently asked questions

What is Rhea?: Rhea is Saturn's second-largest moon, an icy, cratered body about 1,500 km across.
What planet does Rhea orbit?: Rhea orbits Saturn at an average distance of about 527,040 km, completing one lap every 4.5 days.
How big is Rhea?: Rhea has a diameter of about 1,527 km and a mass of roughly 2.31 × 10²¹ kg.
Why is Rhea famous?: Rhea's claim to fame: Saturn's second-largest moon, an icy, heavily cratered world once suspected of having its own faint ring.

See Rhea in motion

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Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.