Tethys
Tethys
Moon of Saturn
Tethys facts
- Orbits
- Saturn
- Distance from Saturn
- 294,660 km (5.1 Saturn-radii)
- Orbital period
- 1.9 days
- Diameter
- 1,062 km
- Mass
- 6.18 × 10²⁰ kg
- Orbital inclination
- 1.12°
- Tidally locked
- Yes
- Discovered
- 1684, by Giovanni Cassini
Tethys orbits Saturn
Watch Tethys (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 Tethys
Tethys is a Saturn moon made almost entirely of water ice, one of the least dense large moons in the Solar System. It carries a colossal canyon, Ithaca Chasma, stretching most of the way around it, and a giant impact crater named Odysseus.
- Named after a Titaness of Greek myth
- Discovered: 1684, by Giovanni Cassini
Tethys: frequently asked questions
- What is Tethys?
- Tethys is a Saturn moon made almost entirely of water ice, one of the least dense large moons in the Solar System.
- What planet does Tethys orbit?
- Tethys orbits Saturn at an average distance of about 294,660 km, completing one lap every 1.9 days.
- How big is Tethys?
- Tethys has a diameter of about 1,062 km and a mass of roughly 6.18 × 10²⁰ kg.
- Why is Tethys famous?
- Tethys's claim to fame: made almost entirely of water ice, and scarred by the giant Ithaca Chasma canyon and the huge Odysseus crater.
See Tethys in motion
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Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.