Mimas
Sign in to saveMimas is the seventh-largest natural satellite of Saturn. With a mean diameter of , Mimas is the smallest astronomical body known to be roughly rounded in shape due to its own gravity. Mimas's low density, 1.15 g/cm3, indicates that it is composed mostly of water ice with only a small amount of rock, and study of Mimas's motion suggests that it may have a liquid ocean beneath its surface ice. The surface of Mimas is heavily cratered and shows little signs of recent geological activity. A notable feature of Mimas's surface is Herschel, one of the largest craters relative to the size of the
AI overview
Mimas is a small moon of Saturn that is composed mostly of water ice and may harbor a hidden ocean beneath its frozen surface. Scientists find it significant because it is the smallest celestial body known to be rounded by its own gravity, and its heavily cratered surface provides clues about the history of Saturn's moon system.
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Key facts
- Planet.name
- Mimas
- Planet.mpc_name
- Saturn I
- Planet.pronounced
- or as Greco-Latin Mimas (approximated )
- Planet.adjectives
- Mimantean, Mimantian (both )
- Planet.named_after
- Mimas, Giant in Greek mythology
- Planet.image
- Mimas Cassini.jpg
- Planet.caption
- Mimas imaged by the Cassini orbiter, February 2010, and orthographically projected. Mimas's surface is dominated by craters; the large crater at the right is Herschel
- Planet.background
- Thistle
- Planet.discoverer
- William Herschel
- Planet.discovered
- 17 September 1789
- Planet.avg_speed
- 14.28 km/s (calculated)
- Planet.inclination
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Discovery and naming
- Discovery
- Name
- Physical characteristics
- Orbital resonances
- Anomalous libration and subsurface ocean
- Exploration
- Similarities in popular culture
- See also
- References
- External links
Mimas is the seventh-largest natural satellite of Saturn. With a mean diameter of , Mimas is the smallest astronomical body known to be roughly rounded in shape due to its own gravity. Mimas's low density, 1.15 g/cm3, indicates that it is composed mostly of water ice with only a small amount of rock, and study of Mimas's motion suggests that it may have a liquid ocean beneath its surface ice. The surface of Mimas is heavily cratered and shows little signs of recent geological activity. A notable feature of Mimas's surface is Herschel, one of the largest craters relative to the size of the parent body in the Solar System. Herschel measures across, about one-third of Mimas's mean diameter, and formed from an extremely energetic impact event. The crater's name is derived from the discoverer of Mimas, William Herschel, in 1789. The moon's presence has created one of the largest 'gaps' in Saturn's ring, named the Cassini Division, due to orbital resonance destabilising the particles' orbit there.
== Discovery and naming == === Discovery === left|thumb|upright|Portrait of William Herschel, 1785. William Herschel, discoverer of Mimas Mimas was discovered by the astronomer William Herschel on 17 September 1789. He recorded his discovery as follows: