.gif)
Telesto (moon)
Encyclopedia
Telesto is a moon
of Saturn
. It was discovered by Smith, Reitsema
, Larson and Fountain in 1980 from ground-based observations, and was provisionally designated . In the following months, several other apparitions were observed: , , and .
In 1983 it was officially named after Telesto
of Greek mythology
. It is also designated as or Tethys B.
Telesto is co-orbital with Tethys
, residing in Tethys' leading Lagrangian point
. This relationship was first identified by Seidelmann et al. Another moon, Calypso
, resides in the other (trailing) Lagrangian point of Tethys, 60 degrees in the other direction from Tethys. (The Saturnian system has two additional trojan moons.)
s.
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
of Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
. It was discovered by Smith, Reitsema
Harold Reitsema
Harold James Reitsema is an American astronomer who was part of the teams that discovered Larissa, the fifth of Neptune's known moons, and Telesto, Saturn's thirteenth moon. Reitsema and his colleagues discovered the moons through ground-based telescopic observations...
, Larson and Fountain in 1980 from ground-based observations, and was provisionally designated . In the following months, several other apparitions were observed: , , and .
In 1983 it was officially named after Telesto
Telesto (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Telesto or Telestho was one of the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Hesiod describes her as "wearing a yellow peplos".Telesto, a moon of Saturn, is named after her....
of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. It is also designated as or Tethys B.
Telesto is co-orbital with Tethys
Tethys (moon)
Tethys or Saturn III is a mid-sized moon of Saturn about across. It was discovered by G. D. Cassini in 1684 and is named after titan Tethys of Greek mythology. Tethys is pronounced |Odysseus]] is about 400 km in diameter, while the largest graben—Ithaca Chasma is about 100 km wide and...
, residing in Tethys' leading Lagrangian point
Lagrangian point
The Lagrangian points are the five positions in an orbital configuration where a small object affected only by gravity can theoretically be stationary relative to two larger objects...
. This relationship was first identified by Seidelmann et al. Another moon, Calypso
Calypso (moon)
Calypso is a moon of Saturn. It was discovered in 1980, from ground-based observations, by Dan Pascu, P. Kenneth Seidelmann, William A. Baum, and Douglas G. Currie, and was provisionally designated ' . Several other apparitions of it were recorded in the following months: , , , and...
, resides in the other (trailing) Lagrangian point of Tethys, 60 degrees in the other direction from Tethys. (The Saturnian system has two additional trojan moons.)
Exploration
The Cassini probe performed a distant flyby of Telesto on October 11, 2005. The resulting images show that its surface is surprisingly smooth, devoid of small impact craterImpact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
s.