Which moon is larger Iapetus or Phoebe?
Phoebe is almost 4 times more distant from Saturn than its nearest major neighbor (Iapetus), and is substantially larger than any of the other moons orbiting planets at comparable distances.
What is special about Iapetus moon?
With its distant, inclined orbit, Iapetus is the only large moon from which there is a nice view of the rings of Saturn. As with some other Saturnian moons, Iapetus is in resonance with Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which orbits at 759,200 miles (1,221,850 kilometers).
What is Iapetus moon made of?
Iapetus is probably the most unusual of Saturn’s moons. It has a low density similar to that of Rhea. This indicates that it contains very little rocky material and is composed mainly of water ice. Iapetus is a moon of stark contrasts.
What is the diameter of Iapetus?
912.79 miIapetus / Diameter
Iapetus is the third-largest moon orbiting Saturn, with a diameter of 914 miles (1,471.2 km). Although its radius is about two-fifths that of Earth’s moon, its icy composition means that it is only about 2 percent as massive.
Is Titan bigger than Triton?
It is second in terms of relative diameter of moons to a gas giant; Titan being 1/22.609 of Saturn’s diameter, Triton is larger in diameter relative to Neptune at 1/18.092.
What is unusual about Saturn’s moons Iapetus and Phoebe?
Phoebe and Iapetus are the only major moons in the Saturnian system that do not orbit closely to the plane of Saturn’s equator. Phoebe is roughly spherical and has a mean radius of about 66.2 miles (106.5 kilometers), about one-sixteenth the radius of Earth’s Moon.
How long is a year on Iapetus?
79 daysIapetus / Orbital period
Why is Iapetus green?
The color image on the right shows the results of mapping for three components of Iapetus’ surface: carbon dioxide that is trapped or adsorbed in the surface (red), water in the form of ice (green), and a newly-discovered effect due to trace amount of dark particles in the ice creating what scientists call Rayleigh …
Why do Iapetus have ridges?
The authors now propose that the ridge formed from an ancient giant impact that produced a subsatellite around Iapetus. Tidal interactions with Iapetus ultimately led to orbital decay, eventually bringing the subsatellite close enough that the same forces tore it apart, forming a debris ring around Iapetus.
What was Iapetus The God of?
Iapetos (Iapetus) may have been the Titan god who presided over the mortal life-span who assigned mortal creatures their finite lot. Like his brother Titanes, he was a god of time, one of the sons of Ouranos, the great dome of heaven which measured all of time.
What makes Iapetus different than most other Jovian satellites?
Iapetus, outermost of Saturn’s major regular moons, extraordinary because of its great contrast in surface brightness. It was discovered by the Italian-born French astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini in 1671 and named for one of the Titans of Greek mythology.
Can we terraform Titan?
To break it down, only Enceladus and Titan appear to be viable candidates for terraforming. However, in both cases, the process of turning them into habitable worlds where human beings could exist without the need for pressurized structures or protective suits would be a long and costly one.
Is Titania bigger than Pluto?
Titania is smaller than Pluto but bigger than Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres. Oberon is bigger only than Makemake and Ceres. The last two of the biggest moons in our Solar System are Earth’s Moon and Neptune’s moon Triton. Our Moon is bigger than Europa, and the dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres.
Why does Saturn’s moon Iapetus have a bulge around its equator?
Iapetus could have had a ring system during its formation due to its large Hill sphere of ~49 Iapetian radii, and that the equatorial ridge was then produced by collisional accretion of this ring. The ridge and the bulge are the result of ancient convective overturn.
Who is Iapetus in Greek mythology?
Iapetus (“the Piercer”) is the one Titan mentioned by Homer in the Iliad as being in Tartarus with Cronus. He is a brother of Cronus, who ruled the world during the Golden Age but is now locked up in Tartarus along with Iapetus, where neither breeze nor light of the sun reaches them.
Who killed Iapetus?
According to Apollodorus (i. 2. § 3) he married Asia, the daughter of his brother Oceanus, and became by her the father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius, who was slain by Zeus in the war against the Titans, and shut up in Tartarus.
What was Iapetus punishment?
Iapetus’ son Atlas led the Titans in the Titanomachy. For this, he was punished by being forced to hold the entire sky upon his shoulders (taking over the role of the four pillars who were cast into Tartaros).
Which planet is easiest to terraform?
While Venus, Earth, Mars, and even the Moon have been studied in relation to the subject, Mars is usually considered to be the most likely candidate for terraforming. Much study has been done concerning the possibility of heating the planet and altering its atmosphere, and NASA has even hosted debates on the subject.
Can we terraform Pluto?
Terraforming of planets like Pluto is unlikely and highly expensive, but not impossible. At least in the nearest 1000 years. But, if we think further away, it can become a reality. A more advanced civilization that had overpopulated all planets in its solar system would like to terraform even a colder one.
What are the 6 largest moons in our solar system?
The seven large moons are, in decreasing order of size: Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, Io, our moon, Europa, and Triton. Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa are the four Galilean moons that Galileo saw in 1610. Titan is the large moon of Saturn, and Triton is the large moon of Neptune.
Is Iapetus a Prometheus?
Who was Iapetus? Iapetus was a Titan, son of Uranus and Gaea, and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius. Iapetus’ Name and Role His name derives from the Greek word meaning to pierce usually with a spear.
Who is the strongest Greek Titan?
Although he was the youngest son of Gaea and Uranus, Cronus was also the strongest of the Greek Titans.
What god is Iapetus?
In Greek mythology, Iapetus (/aɪˈæpɪtəs/) (also Japetus (Ancient Greek: Ἰαπετός Iapetos)) was a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He was also called the father of Buphagus and Anchiale in other sources.
Who is the god of immortality?
Tithonus
Tithonus | Greek mythology | Britannica.
What planet rains diamonds?
On Saturn it occasionally rains diamonds.