Epimetheus
12.12.2006 22:04 Space - Source: Astronomy Blog
Epimetheus
Epimetheus Multimedia Gallery.
Epimetheus [ep-eh-MEE-thee-us] is an irregularly shaped moon covered with several large and small grooves, valleys and ridges. Several craters larger than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) can be seen on its surface. The extensive cratering indicates that its surface must be several billion years old.
Epimetheus and Janus, another similarly shaped moon, share the same orbit. As these two moons approach each other they exchange momentum and trade orbits; the inner satellite becomes the outer and the outer moves to the inner position. This exchange happens about once every four years. Janus and Epimetheus may have formed from a disruption of a single parent to form co-orbital satellites. If this is the case, the disruption must have happened early in the history of Saturn's satellite system.
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