Telesto (moon)

Infobox Planet
name = Telesto


caption = Telesto as seen by the Cassini probe in October 2005
background = #a0ffa0
discoverer = Smith, Reitsema, Larson, Fountain
discovered = April 8, 1980
semimajor = 294,619 km
eccentricity = 0.000
period = 1.887802 d [ [http://exp.arc.nasa.gov/downloads/celestia/data/solarsys.ssc NASA Celestia] ]
inclination = 1.19° (to Saturn's equator)
satellite_of = Saturn
dimensions = 29 × 22 × 20 km³ cite journal |author=Porco, C.C. "et al." |title="Physical Characteristics and Possible Accretionary Origins for Saturn's Small Satellites" |journal=Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society |year=2006 |volume=37 |pages=768 |url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2006/pdf/2289.pdf]
mean_radius = 11.8 ± 1.0 km
rotation = synchronous
axial_tilt = zero
magnitude = 18.7cite web |title=Telesto Statistics |url=http://www.solarviews.com/eng/telesto.htm |accessdate=2007-10-01]

Telesto (pronEng|tɨˈlɛstoʊ respell|tə|LES|toe, or as Greek "Τελεστώ)" is a moon of Saturn. It was discovered by Smith, Reitsema, Larson and Fountain in 1980 from ground-based observations, and was provisionally designated nowrap|S/1980 S 13. [ [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/03400/03466.html IAUC 3466: "Satellites of Saturn"] 1980 April 10 (discovery)] In the following months, several other apparitions were observed: nowrap|S/1980 S 24 [ [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/03400/03484.html IAUC 3484: "Satellites of Saturn"] 1980 June 6,] nowrap|S/1980 S 33, [ [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/03600/03605.html IAUC 3605: "Satellites of Saturn"] 1981 May 18] and nowrap|S/1981 S 1. [ [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/03500/03593.html IAUC 3593: "Satellites of Saturn"] 1981 April 16]

In 1983 it was officially named after Telesto of Greek mythology. [Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, Vol. XVIIIA, 1982 (confirms Janus, names Epimetheus, Telesto, Calypso) (mentioned in [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/03800/03872.html IAUC 3872: "Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn"] , 1983 September 30)] It is also designated as nowrap|Saturn XIII or Tethys B.

Telesto is co-orbital with Tethys, residing in Tethys' leading Lagrangian point (L₄). This relationship was first identified by Seidelmann "et al."Seidelmann, P. K.; Harrington, R. S.; Pascu, D.; Baum, W. A.; Currie, D. G.; Westphal, J. A.; and Danielson, G. E.; [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1981Icar...47..282S&db_key=AST&data_type=HTML&format=&high=45eb6e10af20904 "Saturn Satellite Observations and Orbits from the 1980 Ring Plane Crossing"] , Icarus, Vol. 47 (August 1981), pp. 282–287] The moon Calypso also resides in the other (trailing) lagrangian point of Tethys, 60 degrees in the other direction from Tethys.

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 craters.

References

External links

* [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Sat_Telesto Telesto Profile] by [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov NASA's Solar System Exploration]
* [http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/saturn/telesto.html The Planetary Society: Telesto]