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 |
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