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hor_green_bar1.jpg Epimetheus hor_green_bar1.jpg


Epimethemus - courtesy NASAEpimetheus is the fifth satellite of Saturn and was discovered R. Walker in 1980. The surface presents many valleys and ridges in combination with different crustal deformations. Its heavily cratered surface shows that its surface is billions of years old.

Epimethemus Topography Map - copyright Calvin J. HamiltonEpimetheus has an orbit of 151,472 kilometers from Saturn's center, the same as Saturn's other moon Janus, and not more than 50 kilometers away from it. A very interesting fact is that Epimetheus and Janus swap orbits due to their close approach to each other once every four years. The momentum that is exchanged flings one inward and the other outward. The two moons may have once had once large parent.



PHYSICAL DATA FOR EPIMETHEUS
 Mass (kg) 5.6e + 17
 Mass (Earth = 1) 9.3708e - 08
 Radius (km) 72 x 54 x 49
 Radius (Earth = 1) 1.1289e - 02
 Mean Density (g/cm3) 0.7
 Mean Distance from Saturn (km) 151,422
 Magnitude (V0) 15.7



ORBITAL DATA FOR EPIMETHEUS
 Rotational period (days) 0.6942
 Orbital period (days) 0.6942
 Mean orbital velocity (km/s) 15.87
 Orbital eccentricity 0.009
 Orbital inclination (degrees) 0.34
 Escape (km/s) 0.0322
 Albedo 0.8



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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