Are you intrigued about the solar system and Saturn’s rings and moons in particular?We help you explore all the myriad fun facts about moon Mimas through this article. From its Herculean craters to its distinct effects on the quintessential Saturn rings, get amazed by this fascinating astronomical body.To begin with, you will be fascinated to know that this moon eerily resembles the Death Star from the all-time favorite star wars film series. But don’t worry, as no Death Star exists in the entire solar system.Mimas, the moon of Saturn, was discovered by William Herschel in 1789. William Herschel used a 40 ft (12.2 m) long reflector telescope to unearth Mimas. The moon got its name from Mimas, Gaia’s son in Greek mythology. Mimas is also referred to as ‘Saturn I’ due to its proximity to Saturn. Today, the International Astronomical Union officiates on the naming of astronomical bodies.It’s interesting to note that Mimas surface consists of a huge crater called the Herschel crater. Hence, the resemblance to Death Star, the fictional superweapon and space station from the film’ star wars’. In 1980, Nasa’s Voyager missions could only gather fuzzy images of this enormous crater. But, in 2010, Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft managed to capture a clear and vivid image of this crater. During its flyby of Mimas, the Cassini spacecraft found new insights about the moon’s surface. Besides the Herschel crater, the Cassini spacecraft captured many breathtaking and detailed images of Mimas.Mimas surface area is slightly less than Spain’s land area. The large Herschel crater occupies a third of the surface area and runs 80 mi (128.7 km) across Mimas.Once you have finished reading this article, you can read up on other moons in the Saturn system. Read up about Saturn’s moons: Nix moon and Miranda moon here at Kidadl.Mimas Moon CompositionThis rocky satellite is a cratered, closest major moon that orbits Saturn. Mimas orbits in the gap known as ‘Cassini division,’ between two rings of Saturn.As mentioned above, Mimas is dominated by the Herschel crater, which almost shattered Mimas, creating shock waves during impact. Though this rocky moon has several heavily cratered surfaces, the Herschel crater stands out as a large gaping crater on the surface of Mimas. The outer walls of the crater run 3 mi (4.8 km) high, while the central peak runs about 3.5 mi (5.6 km) high. This is nearly as high as Mt Everest!Mimas is composed primarily of water-ice. Though Mimas orbits close to Saturn, it remains unaffected by the resultant tidal heating. The moon has a frozen surface with daytime temperatures around 200 °F (93.3 °C).Mimas Moon CharacteristicsThe Mimas moon surface is characterized by the most heavily cratered surfaces.Measuring no more than 123 mi (197.9 km) in mean radius, Saturn’s moon Mimas has an oblong shape rather than a round shape. Most of the craters on this rocky moon are about 24.8 mi (39.9 km) in diameter. However, craters in the south pole region are approximately 12.42 mi (20 km) in diameter or lesser. This indicates specific processes like melting or resurfacing occurred in the south polar region later than the rest of the moon’s surface. The sustained frozen surface can be attributed to the low density of the moon. The continuous frozen solid surface of Mimas, which manages to preserve the craters, is puzzling. This moon is closer to Saturn than Enceladus, another of Saturn’s moons. Yet Enceladus, unlike Mimas, has water geysers. Enceladus moon’s geysers, therefore, imply internal heat.Mimas Moon Distance From EarthCrater-covered Mimas is about 115,000 mi (185074.6 km) from Saturn. Mimas’s escape velocity or the minimum speed required to escape from its surface is 355.7 mph (572.4 kph).Its orbital period is approximately 23 hours around Saturn. The rocky moon is tidally locked when hurtling around the massive ringed planet. This means that this cratered moon always faces Saturn while orbiting around it, just like the Earth’s moon. Though Saturn’s most significant and smallest moon, Mimas is several million miles away from Earth. Viewed as simply a hazy dot from Earth, Mimas is approximately 0.79 billion mi (1.27 billion km) from Earth. Phew, now that’s quite a distance!Mimas Moon Effects On Saturn’s RingsYou might be well versed with the peculiar rings encompassing the mighty Saturn. These rings are separated by a wide band called Cassini Division.The ring material is made of ice; this division’s dark, wideband lies between the massive planet’s two most conspicuous rings. Here, particle density is much lower than on the ring’s inner edge. Now, there is a place on the inner edge of this band wherein particles orbit around Saturn exactly twice as fast as Mimas. Researchers feel that Mimas might be playing the role of a remote snowplow. This phenomenon is called ‘orbital resonance,’ where ice particles are pushed apart to create a narrow gap. Scientists believe that Mimas might have inched closer to Saturn, resulting in widening the initial gap. On the other hand, if Mimas orbit moved outwards, the ring ice particles would return to their original positions.It is believed that Mimas must have moved closer by about 5592 mi (8999.5 km) over a few million years to make the 2796.2 mi (4500 km) gap that forms this division today.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘Mimas moon: Saturn’s death star moon curious facts for kids unveiled!’ then why not take a look at ‘Where do oats come from? Everything to know about this healthy breakfast’, or ‘where do-nuts come from? Know all of your healthy nuts facts well!’
Are you intrigued about the solar system and Saturn’s rings and moons in particular?
