Moons · Moon of Saturn

Tethys

294,619 km from Saturn · Light crosses it in 0.0035 seconds

Across

1,062 km

Vs Earth

8.34% of Earth

Mass

0.01% of Earth

Open Tethys in Cosmic Scale

About

Tethys is a mid-sized moon of Saturn made almost entirely of water ice. A huge crater covers much of one side, and a canyon system runs three-quarters of the way around it.

Almost pure water ice, with a canyon running three-quarters of the way around it.

At a glance

Size	1,062 km
Orbits	Saturn, every 1.9 days
Big crater	Odysseus, 450 km wide
Canyon	Ithaca Chasma, 2,000 km long

Did you know

1. It is one of the most reflective bodies in the Solar System.
2. Its density is close to that of water, so it is almost pure ice.
3. Two tiny moons, Telesto and Calypso, share its orbit.

Real photo

• A close look at Tethys, from Cassini — NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute · source