Voyager 1 image of Helene.

HELENE - MOON OF SATURN

According to legend, Helene was the daughter of one of the Amazons, and was killed in a fight with Achilles. Helene was discovered in 1980 by P. Laques and J. Lecacheux as a result of ground based observations.

Orbit

Helene orbits 377,400 kilometres from the centre of Saturn and is co-orbital with the much bigger moon Dione. Helene is sometimes referred to as "Dione B". It is a Trojan satellite, locked in an orbit 60o ahead of Dione. Helene's orbit has an eccentricity of 0.005 and is very slightly inclined to Saturn's equatorial plane (0.2o).

The orbits of Enceladus, Tethys, Telesto, Calypso, Dione, Helene, and Rhea.

Physical properties

Small and slightly irregular in shape, Helene measures 36 x 32 x 30 kilometres. The mass and density of Helene are not known.

Interior

The interior of Helene is unknown.

Magnetic field

No magnetic field has been detected.

Atmosphere

No atmosphere has been detected.

Surface

Voyager 2 imagery shows some evidence of cratering. Helene, like most of Saturn's moons, is quite bright, and has an albedo of 0.7. It is very reflective, probably because it has an icy surface.