Known Space -- Sol -- Saturn -- | Rhea |
Rhea is the fourteenth of Saturn's satellites and the second largest. It is an icy body with a density of 1.33 gm/cm3. The low density indicates that it is composed of a rocky core taking up less than one-third of the moon's mass, with the rest composed of water-ice. Rhea is somewhat similar to Dione. They both have similar composition, albedo features, varied terrain and synchronous rotations. The temperature on Rhea is -174 degrees C with illumation from the Sun and between -200 degrees C and -220 degrees C in the shade.
Rhea is heavily cratered with bright whispy markings. Its surface can be divided into two geologically different areas based on crater density. The first area contains craters which are larger than 40 kilometers in diameter. The second area, in parts of the polar and equatorial regions, has craters under 40 kilometers in diameter. This suggests that a major resurfacing event occurred some time during its formation.
Orbital Distance: 527,000 km (average) Eccentricity: 0.001 Local Year: 4.518 days (4d 12h 25m 12s) Orbital Velocity: 8.483 km/s Inclination: 0.35° Local Day: 4.518 days (4d 12h 25m 12s) Axial Tilt: n/a Diameter: 1,528 km Composition: Rock and ice Density: 1.33 g/cm3 Mass: 2.49 x 1018 tonnes (0.0004 earths) Gravity: 0.029 G Escape Velocity: 0.659 km/s Area: 7.3 million km2 Surface Material: Mostly H2O ice Atmosphere: None Pressure: None Albedo: 0.70 Temperature: -197°C |