Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,898,453,421 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Dione
(redirected from Dione (disambiguation))

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.

Dione, in astronomy

Dione (dīō`nē), in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn Saturn, in astronomy, 6th planet from the sun. Astronomical and Physical Characteristics of Saturn


Saturn's orbit lies between those of Jupiter and Uranus; its mean distance from the sun is c.886 million mi (1.
..... Click the link for more information.
. Also known as Saturn IV (or S4), Dione is 695 mi (1,120 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mean distance of 234,500 mi (377,400 km), and has an orbital period of 2.737 earth days—the rotational period is unknown but is assumed to be the same as the orbital period. It was discovered in 1684 by the Italian-French astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini Cassini , name of a family of Italian-French astronomers, four generations of whom were directors of the Paris Observatory.

Gian Domenico Cassini,
..... Click the link for more information.
. Aside from Titan Titan , in astronomy, the largest of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn VI (or S6), Titan is 3,200 mi (5,150 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mean distance of 759,209 mi (1,221,830 km), and has equal orbital and rotational
..... Click the link for more information.
, Dione is the densest of Saturn's satellites; it is believed to be composed primarily of water ice with a considerable fraction of denser material, such as silicate rock. The trailing hemisphere is more heavily cratered than the leading hemisphere, which is the reverse of the cratering on most of the other Saturnian satellites. Another moon, Helene Helene , in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn XII (or S12), Helene is an irregularly shaped (nonspherical) body measuring about 22 mi (36 km) by 20 mi (32 km) by 18 mi (30 km); it orbits Saturn at a mean
..... Click the link for more information.
, is co-orbital with Dione; that is, it orbits Saturn at the same distance as Dione, and precedes Dione by about 60°. Dione also forms a satellite pair with Enceladus Enceladus , in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn II (or S2), Enceladus is 310 mi (500 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mean distance of 147,900 mi (238,020 km), and has equal orbital and rotational periods of
..... Click the link for more information.
; that is, the two moons interact gravitationally.

Dione, in Greek religion and mythology

Dione, in Greek religion and mythology, earth goddess. In some legends she is the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys; in others she is a Titaness, born to Uranus and Gaea. In yet another version she is the mother of Aphrodite. Her name is the feminine form of Zeus. Her cult was associated with the oracle at Dodona Dodona , in Greek religion, the oldest oracle, in inland Epirus, near modern Janina, sacred to Zeus and Dione. According to Herodotus, an old oak tree there became an oracle when a black dove, from Egyptian Thebes, settled on it.
..... Click the link for more information.
.
Dione [′dī·ə‚nē]
(astronomy)
A satellite of Saturn that orbits at a mean distance of 2.35 × 105miles (3.78 × 105kilometers) and has a diameter of about 700 miles (1120 kilometers).


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Mentioned in?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.