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Epimetheus (pronounced ep-eh-MEE-thee-us; adjective: Epimethean) and the neighboring moon Janus have been referred to as the Siamese twins of Saturn because they orbit Saturn in nearly the same orbit. This co-orbital condition (also called 1:1 resonance) confused astronomers who at first could not believe that two moons could share nearly identical orbits without colliding.
The two are moons of Saturn that lie amongst the rings and have orbital radial distances from Saturn of roughly 151,500 kilometers (94,100 miles). One moon orbits 50 kilometers (31 miles) higher (farther away from the planet) and consequently moves slightly slower than the other. The slight velocity difference means the inner satellite catches up to the other in approximately four Earth years. Then, the gravity interaction between the two pulls the inner moon faster moving it to a higher orbit. At the same time, the catching-up inner moon drags the leading outer moon backward so that it drops into a lower orbit. The result is that the two exchange places, and the nearest they approach is within 15,000 kilometers (6,200 miles). At the next trade in 2010, the Epimethean orbital radius will drop by approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) while Janus will increase by only approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles). The Janus orbit changes only a quarter of the Epimetheus change because Janus is four times more massive than Epimetheus.
Epimetheus and Janus may have formed by the break-up of one moon. If so, it would have happened early in the life of the Saturn system because both moons have ancient cratered surfaces, many with soft edges because of dust. They also have some grooves (similar to grooves on the Martian moon Phobos) suggesting some glancing blows from other bodies. Together, the moons trail enough particles to generate a feint ring. However, except for very powerful telescopes, the region of their common orbit (and the faint ring) appears as a gap between Saturn's more prominent F and G rings.
Celestial Mechanics of Epimetheus and Its Near Neighbors
Epimetheus and Janus are the fifth and sixth moons in distance from Saturn. Both are phase locked with their parent; one side always faces toward Saturn. Being so close, they orbit in less than 17 hours. They are both thought to be composed of largely of water ice, but their density of less than 0.7 is much less than that of water. Thus, they are probably "rubble piles" -- each a collection of numerous pieces held together loosely by gravity. Each moon has dark, smoother areas, along with brighter areas of terrain. One interpretation of this is that the darker material evidently moves down slopes, leaving shinier material such as water ice on the walls of fractures. Their temperature is approximately -195 degrees Celsius (-319 degrees Fahrenheit). Their reflectivity (or albedo) of 0.7 to 0.8 in the visual range again suggests a composition largely of water ice.
The Epimethean mean diameter of 113 kilometers (70 miles) comes from its potato-shaped dimensions of 135 x 108 x 105 kilometers (84 x 65 x 65 miles, respectively). These numbers reflect pronounced flattening at the Epimethean South Pole associated with the remains of a large crater. Epimetheus has several craters larger than 30 kilometers, including Hilairea and Pollux.
Discovery
Audouin Dollfus observed a moon on Dec. 15, 1966, for which he proposed the name "Janus." On Dec. 18 of the same year, Richard Walker made a similar observation, now credited as the discovery of Epimetheus. At the time, astronomers believed that there was only one moon, unofficially known as "Janus," in the given orbit. Twelve years later, in October 1978, Stephen M. Larson and John W. Fountain realized that the 1966 observations were best explained by two distinct objects (Janus and Epimetheus) sharing very similar orbits. Voyager I confirmed this in 1980, and so Larson and Fountain officially share the discovery of Epimetheus with Walker.
The Cassini spacecraft has made several close approaches and provided detailed images of the moon since it achieved orbit around Saturn in 2004.
Origin of Names
John Herschel suggested that the moons of Saturn be associated with mythical brothers and sisters of Kronus, known to the Romans as Saturn. The International Astronomical Union now controls the official naming of astronomical bodies.
The name Epimetheus comes from the Greek god (or titan) Epimetheus (or hindsight) who was the brother of Prometheus (foresight). Together, they represented humanity. The craters on Epimetheus include Hilaeira (who was a priestess of Artemis and Athena) and Pollux (who was a warrior in The Illiad and who carried off Hilaeira).
Astronomers also refer to Epimetheus as Saturn XI and as S/1980 S3, and they refer to Janus as Saturn X and as S/1980 S1.
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Flyby Dates |
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- No targeted flyby.
Closest approach: Dec. 6, 2015 -- 2,621 km (1,629 miles)
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Fast Facts |
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- Discovered in 1966 by R. Walker
- Distance from Saturn: 151,422 km (94,089 miles)
- Period of Orbit around Saturn: 16.7 hours
- Diameter: 138 x 110 x 110 km (86 x 68 x 68 miles)
- Mass: 5.3 x 1017 kg (11.68 x 1017 lbs)
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Science Goals |
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- Determine general characteristics and geological history of Epimetheus
- Define the different physical processes that created the surface of Epimetheus
- Investigate composition and distribution of surface materials on Epimetheus -- particularly dark, organic-rich materials and condensed ices with a low melting point
- Determine the bulk composition and internal structure of Epimetheus
- Investigate interaction of Epimetheus with Saturn's magnetosphere and ring system
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Saturn's Moons (sorted alphabetically) |
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