MFS_107_POLYDEUCE

Polydeuces is a small moon with a mean radius of just 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) orbiting Saturn at a distance of about 234,000 miles (377,000 kilometers), taking 2.7 Earth days to go around the planet. Polydeuces is an example of a so-called "Trojan" moon — it follows a larger moon in orbit around the planet (in the case of Polydeuces, the larger moon is Dione). Polydeuces is a trailing co-orbital of Dione, while the moon Helene is the leading co-orbital. Trojan moons are found near stable "Lagrangian points" — places where the gravitational pull of the planet and the larger moon become balanced. The Trojans are situated 60 degrees ahead or behind the larger moon in its orbit. It is beli...View all