Mimas Facts for Kids

A Picture of Saturn's Moon Mimas
  • Moon Name: Mimas
  • Designation: Saturn I
  • Date Discovered: September 17th, 1789
  • Discovered by: William Herschel
  • Average Orbit of Saturn: 115,228 miles
  • Total Mass: 41,342,931,106,502,520 tons
  • Surface Area: 190,598.46 square miles

14 Mimas Facts for Kids

  1. Mimas is one of Saturn’s 82 known moons (natural satellites).
  2. Mimas is named after a Greek mythology Gigantes (Giants).
  3. Mimas is also designated as Saturn I.
  4. Mimas was discovered on September 17th, 1789 by William Herschel.
  5. William Herschel discovered Mimas using a 40′ telescope with a 48″ aperture.
  6. The average orbit distance for Mimas is 115,288 mi.
  7. The diameter of the moon Mimas is 246.31 mi.
  8. The surface area of the moon Mimas is 190,598.46 mi2.
  9. It takes Mimas about 23 hours to complete a full orbit around Saturn.
  10. The largest impact crater on Mimas is 81 mi across and known as Herschel.
  11. If Earth was hit by an asteroid or comet that would make a crater relative in size to Herschel it would have a diameter over 2,500 mi, that’s wider the continent of Australia.
  12. Mimas is the smallest astronomical body in our Solar System known to be shaped by its own gravity.
  13. Mimas has been photographed by Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2 and Cassini.
  14. Many people compare the Death Star from the film Star Wars to Mimas. The Herschel Crater gives it a striking resemblance to the fictional space station.

Additional Resources on Saturn’s Moon Mimas

  • In Depth View of Mimas – Discover Saturn’s moon Mimas on the NASA Science Solar System Exploration website.
  • Mimas Moon Data – Compare the moon Mimas and our planet Earth on the NASA Science Solar System Exploration website.
  • Mimas Moon Pictures – View photos of the moon Mimas taken my NASA spacecrafts on the JPL Photojournal website.
  • Mimas (Moon) – Wikipedia – Learn more about the Saturn’s moon Mimas on the Wikipedia website.

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