Mimas (moon)

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mimas-moon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific designation?Saturn XXXI
2. What is the mean orbital radius?183,000 kilometers (114,000 miles)
3. What is Mimas and why does it look like a snowball?Mimas is Saturn's innermost moon, a small icy body about 198 km wide. It looks like a snowball because its surface is mostly water ice, and its huge Herschel crater gives it a distinctive shape.
4. Why does Mimas have such a big crater called Herschel?The Herschel crater was made by a huge impact from a 30–40 km object. The collision released a lot of energy, creating the large crater and shaking the whole moon.

Orbital Resonance: A periodic, gravitational interaction between two orbiting bodies that influences their orbital paths.
Shepherd Moon: A small moon whose gravity helps confine ring particles into narrow bands.