Space Topics: Saturn
Pallene (S/2004 S2)
Second Moon Discovered in Cassini Images
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Pallene
Credit: NASA / JPL / SSI / Gordan Ugarkovic
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Size: Roughly 4 kilometers
Orbital radius: 211,000 kilometers - 3.50 Saturn radii - within
the E ring - between Mimas and Enceladus
Orbital period: 1.14 days - about 1/14 of Titan’s
Discovery: 2005 by C. Porco et al.
Pallene and nearby Methone were the first two moons to be discovered in
Cassini images. Little else is known about this tiny moon.
The best image Cassini took of Pallene throughout
the primary mission, shown at right, reveals no features on the surface,
which appears to be very smooth. This is a color view taken from a distance
of 76,000 kilometers and a phase angle of 21 degrees on June 8, 2005. It
has been magnified four times. The surface has a blue tint to it, like
Telesto but unlike most of the other tiny moons located close to Saturn.
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Pallene discovery animation
S/2004 S2, now known as Pallene, was visible in 28 of 150 frames captured by Cassini on June 1, 2004 as it approached Saturn. A complete animation of the frames is available at the Planetary Photojournal.
Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute
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