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Planets
Saturn's satellite Rhea is a homogeneous mix of rock and ice
Article first published online: 18 JAN 2007
DOI: 10.1029/2006GL028100
Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
Additional Information
How to Cite
, and (2007), Saturn's satellite Rhea is a homogeneous mix of rock and ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L02202, doi:10.1029/2006GL028100.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 18 JAN 2007
- Article first published online: 18 JAN 2007
- Manuscript Accepted: 12 DEC 2006
- Manuscript Revised: 1 DEC 2006
- Manuscript Received: 7 SEP 2006
Keywords:
- Rhea;
- Saturnian satellites;
- icy satellite
[1] 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.