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Janus (pronounced JAY nuss; adjective: Janian) and the neighboring moon Epimetheus have been referred to as the Siamese twins of Saturn because these two moons 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.
Janus and Epimetheus 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 appears as a gap between Saturn's prominent F and G rings.
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 and consequently moves slightly slower than the other. The slight velocity difference means the inner moon catches up to the other in approximately four Earth years. At that time, 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; the nearest they approach is within 15,000 kilometers (6,200 miles). The next trade is in 2010.
Celestial Mechanics of Janus and Its Near Neighbors
Janus and Epimetheus are the fifth and sixth moons going out 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 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 Janus mean diameter of 179 kilometers (111 miles) comes from its potato-shaped dimensions of 196 x 192 x 150 kilometers (122 x 119 x 93 miles), respectively.
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.
The Cassini spacecraft has made several close approaches and provided detailed images of Janus since Cassini 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 craters on Epimetheus include Hilaeira (who was a priestess of Artemis and Athena) and Pollux (who was a warrior in The Iliad and who carried off Hilaeira).
The name Janus comes from the Roman god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. He is usually represented as having one face to look forward and another to look back. The Romans may have partially adopted Janus from an Etruscan god, from the Greek god Hermes, or from both. His most apparent remnants in modern English are the month of January and the caretaker of doors and halls, the janitor.
Two named features of Janus include one crater named Castor (a warrior in The Illiad), and one crater named Phoebe (a priestess of Artemis and Athena who was carried off by Castor and his brother Pollux). The two craters Idas and Lynceus are named for two brothers who were rivals with Castor and Pollux for Phoebe and another priestess. Idas was also one of the Argonauts who sailed with Jason in the quest for the Golden Fleece.
Astronomers also refer to Epimetheus as Saturn XI and as S/1980 S3, and Janus as Saturn X and as S/1980 S1.
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Flyby Dates |
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- No targeted flyby.
Closest approach: April 12, 2017 -- 8,702 kilometers (5,407 miles)
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Fast Facts |
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- Discovered in 1966 by Audouin Dollfus
- Diameter of 194 x 190 x 154 km. (121 x 118 x 96 miles)
- Distance from Saturn: 151,422 km (94,089 miles)
- Period of Orbit around Saturn: 16.7 hours
- Mass: 1.90 x 1018 kg (4.19 x 1018 lbs)
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Science Goals |
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- Determine general characteristics and geological history of Janus
- Define the different physical processes that created the surface of Janus
- Investigate composition and distribution of surface materials on Janus -- particularly dark, organic-rich materials and condensed ice with a low melting point
- Determine the bulk composition and internal structure of Janus
- Investigate interaction of Janus with Saturn's magnetosphere and ring system
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Saturn's Moons (sorted alphabetically) |
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