Norbert Haupt

[Picture credit: NASA]

Two of Saturn’s moons. Dione is the nearer one, and Enceladus is the snowball in the back. They are made of the same material, but obviously Enceladus has much higher reflectivity.

Enceladus has a 314 mile diameter. That means it would just about fit between Phoenix and San Diego.

Dione in the foreground has a diameter of 698 miles, more than twice that of Enceladus. It’s the 15th largest moon in the solar system.

It is boundlessly fascinating to me that we live in an age where we can see the moons of a far-away planet in this detail.

 

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Posted in Astronomy | Tagged Dione, Enceladus, Moons of Saturn | 4 Comments

4 Responses

1. on December 7, 2015 at 4:16 am | Reply lola gayle

   I get such a thrill out of looking at space images. Did you happen to see the new close-ups of Pluto?

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   • on December 7, 2015 at 7:45 am | Reply Norbert Haupt

     Yes. I know. I want a set of scale globes of all the rocky planets.

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     • on December 7, 2015 at 11:59 am lola gayle

       An orrery model sounds awesome. Better clear out your living room or office and make some room. 😉

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     • on December 7, 2015 at 12:00 pm lola gayle

       I did this look back today. http://steamregister.com/looking-back-at-ceres-what-a-difference-a-year-makes/

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