Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Public Domain — NASA Media Usage Guidelines

MOON

Dione

Icy moon with striking bright "wispy" ice cliffs and a possible subsurface ocean.

Orbits Saturn

About Dione

Dione is Saturn’s fourth-largest moon, with a rocky core and icy mantle. Its trailing hemisphere displays striking bright, streaky “wispy terrain” — originally a mystery, but revealed by Cassini to be networks of bright ice cliffs hundreds of meters tall. Dione is in a 2:1 orbital resonance with Enceladus, which may contribute to tidal heating. Cassini gravity data hint at a subsurface ocean beneath ~100 km of ice.

Live · 3DSee Dione in the Live 3D Solar SystemFly to Dione and explore its orbit among the planets, moons & spacecraft in a full-screen interactive view.Launch 3D view

Physical Properties

Mean radius561 km

Mass1.0954868e21 kg

Density1.478 g/cm³

Surface gravity0.232 m/s²

Rotation period65.7 h

Bond albedo0.998

Mean temp87 K

Orbit

OrbitsSaturn

Semi-major axis377,396 km

Eccentricity0.0022

Inclination0.019°

Orbital period2.737 d

Gallery

Hand-picked mission imagery of Dione sourced from NASA and partner archives. Click any photo for full resolution and source attribution.

Saturn's moon Dione and its bright wispy fractures, from Cassini. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute · Public Domain u2014 NASA Media Usage Guidelines

One of Cassini's closest views of Dione. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Imagery on this page is provided by the original mission teams. Full attribution terms: Image Rights & Credits.

Sources & Further Reading

Numerical values (radius, mass, orbital elements, temperatures) are drawn from NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheets, JPL Horizons, and the JPL Small-Body Database. Last refreshed: 2026-06-08 01:37:02.