Epimetheus, moon

Epimetheus is an inner satellite of Saturn. It is also known as Saturn XI. It is named after the mythological Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. Epimetheus received its name in 1983.

Epimetheus occupies essentially the same orbit as the moon Janus. This was confirmed in 1980 CE by Voyager 1.

Like many other Saturn moons, Epimetheus is a very porous icy body.

There are several craters larger than 30 km in diameter, as well as both large and small ridges and grooves. The extensive cratering indicates that Epimetheus is quite old. Janus and Epimetheus have formed from a disruption of a single parent to form co-orbital satellites early in the history of the satellite system.

The south pole shows what might be the remains of a large impact crater covering most of this face of the moon, and which could be responsible for the somewhat flattened shape of the southern part of Epimetheus.

There are two terrain types: darker, smoother areas, and brighter, slightly more yellowish, fractured terrain. The darker material moves down slopes, and has a lower ice content than the brighter material, which is more like "bedrock". Nonetheless, materials in both terrains are rich in water ice.

Ring
A faint dust ring is present around the region occupied by the orbits of Epimetheus and Janus, as was revealed by the Cassini spacecraft in 2006. The ring has a radial extent of about 5000 km. Its source is particles blasted off their surfaces by meteoroid impacts, which then form a diffuse ring around their orbital paths.

Modern Epimetheus
Today, Epimetheus is solely mined by SII for its water ice and frozen gases.