Moon of Saturn
Dione
Dione is a moon. It orbits Saturn. It is about 1,123 km across – smaller than our Moon. The bright “wisps” on Dione are in fact ice cliffs hundreds of metres high.
Fact file
- Type
- Moon of Saturn
- Diameter
- 1,123 km
- Distance from Saturn
- 377,420 km
- Orbital period
- 2.7 days
- Temperature
- -186 °C on average
Dione orbits Saturn.
Interesting facts about Dione
- The bright “wisps” on Dione are in fact ice cliffs hundreds of metres high.
- Cassini found a wafer-thin envelope of oxygen around Dione.
- Like Tethys, Dione has two small companion moons on its orbit (Helene and Polydeuces).
Frequently asked questions about Dione
How big is Dione?
Dione has a diameter of 1,123 km. That is about 32% of the diameter of our Moon.
How far is Dione from Saturn?
Dione orbits Saturn at an average distance of 377,420 km.
How long does Dione take to orbit Saturn?
Dione orbits Saturn once every 65.8 hours.
How cold or warm is it on Dione?
On Dione the average temperature is −186 °C.
Formation
A mixture of ice and rock. Measurements point to an ocean about 100 km down beneath the ice crust.
Atmosphere
An extremely thin exosphere of oxygen – around 5 trillion times thinner than Earth's atmosphere.
Exploration
Discovered in 1684 by Giovanni Cassini. The probe of the same name flew close by several times, most recently in 2015.
Compared with Earth
About a third the size of our Moon.
Other moons of Saturn
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