Aster › Space program › Methone
Methone
Position on the route: 52/130 · level needed 130 · journey (Mk0 engine) 24.6 h
By the numbers
| Size | ≈ 3.2 × 2.9 × 2.8 km |
|---|---|
| Year | 24.2 hours |
| Distance | 194,440 km |
| Found | 2004, Cassini |
The story
Methone is a small egg-shaped moon of Saturn, about 3 km across. Cassini found it in 2004; the images it took from 1,900 km in 2012 were a surprise: the surface is almost perfectly smooth, with no craters. One of the smoothest known bodies in the Solar System.
A thin ring arc circles with it, made of dust knocked off Methone by micrometeoroid impacts. The smooth surface suggests a continuous coating of dust and ice.
Missions
- Cassini (2004–2017): discovery and close images
Colony note
Very small; observation only.
What probes bring back
- A smooth, egg-shaped moon about 3 km across: Cassini imaged it from 1,900 km in 2012 with almost no craters.
- Found by Cassini in 2004; a thin ring arc of impact-ejected dust circles with it.