PIA02276: Tethys


Tethys

Caption:

The Saturn satellite Tethys was viewed by Voyager 2 on Aug. 25 from a distance of 1 million kilometers (620,000 mi.). Evident on the surface of this icy moon is an enormous impact crater almost 400 km. (250 mi.) in diameter and about 15 km. (10 mi.) deep. Tethys itself is only 1,050 km. (650 mi.) in diameter. The crater contains a central peak about as high as the crater is deep; it is the result of rebound after the impact. Tethys resembles its sister satellite Mimas, seen closeup by Voyager 1 last fall. That body has a crater 130 km. (80 mi.) in diameter. The Tethys crater, which is so large that Mimas would fit inside, is on the opposite side of the great rift valley observed by Voyager 1. Many other, smaller craters pock-mark the surface here.

Background Info:

The Voyager Project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Tethys Mimas, Saturn
System Saturn
Target Type Satellite Planet
Mission Voyager
Instrument Host Cassini Orbiter Voyager 2
Host Type Orbiter Flyby Spacecraft
Instrument Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS)
Detector
Extra Keywords Crater, Grayscale, Impact
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2000-05-23
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02276
Identifier PIA02276