Amazing Cassini Image Shows Dione on the Edge
Saturn’s moon Dione drifts before the planet’s rings, seen here almost edge-on. For all their immense width, the rings are relatively paper-thin, about 30 feet…
Dione News
Dione is one of Saturn’s moons, discovered by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini in 1684. It is the 15th largest moon in the solar system and is primarily composed of water ice with a smaller fraction of rock, suggesting a heavily cratered, icy surface with some geological differentiation. Dione orbits Saturn at a distance of about 377,400 kilometers and completes an orbit every 2.7 days. Its surface features include ice cliffs and valleys, as well as impact craters and basins, indicating a history of significant geological activity. The Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, provided detailed images and data about Dione, revealing a complex surface and hinting at the possibility of a subsurface ocean similar to those suspected on other moons like Enceladus and Europa. This makes Dione an object of interest in the study of potentially habitable environments in our solar system.
A Striking View of Saturn’s Moon Dione
Cassini captured this striking view of Saturn’s moon Dione on July 23, 2012. Dione is about 698 miles (1,123 kilometers) across. Its density suggests that…
Cassini Image Shows Saturn’s Rings with Dione and Epimetheus
This newly released Cassini image shows Saturn’s rings with Dione and Epimetheus off in the distance. Saturn’s main rings, along with its moons, are much…
Cassini Views Crater Duo on Saturn’s Moon Dione
This newly released Cassini image shows a pair of craters on Saturn’s moon Dione. Cassini captures a crater duo on Saturn’s moon Dione that is…
Dione Divided – Dione Appears Cut in Two By Saturn’s Rings
In this newly released Cassini spacecraft image, Dione appears cut in two by Saturn’s razor-thin rings. This scene was captured from just 0.02 degrees above…
New Cassini Image – Dione Before the Rings
This newly released Cassini image was taken during the flyby of Dione this past summer. Saturn’s rings are so expansive that they often sneak into…
Cassini Views Dione and Enceladus
This new image from the Cassini Spacecraft shows Saturn’s moons Dione and Enceladus. Although Dione (near) and Enceladus (far) are composed of nearly the same…
Entranced by a Transit – Cassini Views Dione as it Crosses the Face of Saturn
The Cassini Spacecraft views the moon Dione as it transits Saturn. Saturn’s moon Dione crosses the face of the giant planet in this view, a…
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Views Dione for the Last Time
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft has captured new images of Saturn’s moon Dione during its last close approach to the small, icy world. Two of the new…
Cassini Spacecraft Will Make Last Close Flyby of Dione in August
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft will make its final close flyby of Saturn’s moon Dione on August 17. Cassini’s closest approach, within 295 miles (474 kilometers) of…
New Cassini Images of Saturn’s Moon Dione
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft reveals it latest flyby images of Saturn’s moon Dione. The rugged landscape of Saturn’s fracture-faced moon Dione is revealed in images sent…
Cassini Images Captures Dione Dwarfing Rhea
These new images from NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft were taken when Dione was closer to the camera, making the moon appear much larger than Rhea. Is…
Cassini Views the Wisps of Dione
This newly released Cassini image shows a series of geologically fresh fractures on the surface of Dione. Although the crack-like features seen here on Dione’s…
Evidence of Activity at Saturn Moon Dione
Researchers have found hints of evidence suggesting that Saturn’s moon Dione was likely active in the past, and could still be active now. From a…
Researchers Discover Oxygen Molecules in Dione’s Exosphere
By combining data from one of Cassini’s instruments, called CAPS (Cassini Plasma Spectrometer), researchers discovered that Dione’s exosphere contains molecules of oxygen. The researchers estimate…