Saturn's Moon - Hyperion

H yperion is one of the smaller moons of Saturn. It was discovered by William Cranch Bond. It has a pock-marked body and is the largest irregularly shaped satellite ever observed. Hyperion might have had a major collision which blew part of the moon away. Its eccentric orbit makes it subject to gravitational forces from Saturn which have set it tumbling out of control. The moon's rotational period is not constant and varies from one orbit to the next. Hyperion is redder than Phoebe and closely matches the color of the dark material on Iapetus. The largest crater on its surface is approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) in diameter and 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep. The irregular shape of Hyperion and evidence of bombardment by meteors makes it appear to be the oldest surface in the Saturn system.

PHYSICAL DATA FOR HYPERION
 Mass (kg) 1.77e + 19
 Mass (Earth = 1) 2.9618e - 06
 Radius (km) 205 x 130 x 110
 Radius (Earth = 1) 3.2142e - 02
 Mean Density (g/cm3) 1.4
 Mean Distance from Jupiter (km) 1,481,000
 Magnitude (V0) 14.19


ORBITAL DATA FOR HYPERION
 Rotational period (days) chaotic 
 Orbital period (days) 21.27661
 Mean orbital velocity (km/s) 5.07
 Orbital eccentricity 0.1042
 Orbital inclination (degrees) 0.43
 Escape (km/s) 0.107
 Albedo 0.3


Physical Data Key
 
Mass Mass
Mass Mass compared to that of Earth.
Radius Radius
Radius Radius compared to that of Earth.
Mean Density Average Density.
Distance Distance to the planet's center.
Magnitude The brightness of a star or object.
 
 
Orbital Data Key
 
Rotational Period Number of days to make one complete rotation.
Orbital Period Number of days to obital the planet.
Mean Orbital Velocity Average obital speed.
Orbital Eccentricity Eccentricity.
Orbital Inclination The tilt of the moon or planet.
Escape Escape Velocity.
Albedo Visual geometric albedo.

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