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Saturn's satellite Rhea is a homogeneous mix of rock and ice
Author(s) -
Anderson J. D.,
Schubert G.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl028100
Subject(s) - moment of inertia , geology , saturn , quadrupole , spacecraft , homogeneous , satellite , water ice , geophysics , astrobiology , geodesy , physics , astronomy , classical mechanics , planet , thermodynamics , atomic physics
A close flyby of Saturn's satellite Rhea by the Cassini spacecraft on 26 November 2005 can be used to infer its mass and quadrupole gravity moments. From these data we derive a mean density of 1233 ± 5 kg m −3 for Rhea and an axial moment of inertia consistent with an undifferentiated interior. The small density implies an interior made up of about 25% rock‐metal and 75% water ice by mass. The moment of inertia implies a homogeneous mix of these constituents with some compression of the ice and the transition from ice I to ice II at depth.
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