Atlas of Worlds

Telesto

A confirmed moon in the Saturn system.

Named · Saturn XIII · S/1980 S 13

Snapshot 2026-09-09 · catalog 1.0.0

Explore Telesto in Orrery

Physical measurements

Mean radius
— No value in the admitted source set.
GM · gravitational parameter
— No value in the admitted source set.
Mass
— Mass requires an admitted GM estimate.
Mean density
— No value in the admitted source set.

PCK reference shape axes: ≈ 16.3 × ≈ 11.8 × ≈ 9.8 km. These are model axes, not a mapped surface.

Orbit descriptions

Mean elements describe an average orbit. They are not positions for a chosen date.

SAT441 · Laplace plane · 2000-01-01.5 TDB
Semimajor axis
295,000 km
Sidereal period
1.8878 days
Eccentricity
0.001
Inclination to reference plane
1.2°
Argument of periapsis
66.2°
Mean anomaly
360°
Ascending node
242.1°
Apsidal / nodal precession periods
0.005 / 4.982 years
Reference-plane pole RA / Dec
40.6 / 83.5°
Plane tilt to parent equator
0°
Reference center
Not specified in this summary sourceThe summary table identifies a parent system but does not explicitly specify the reference center for each solution. Do not infer a physical-primary center, especially for Pluto’s circumbinary moons.

Orientation

NAIF-pck00011 supplies a modeled pole and prime meridian in the J2000 frame. A dated sky also needs compatible trajectories.

Pole right ascension
50.51, -0.036, 0
Pole declination
84.06, -0.004, 0
Prime meridian
56.88, 190.6979332, 0
Reference epoch
JD 2451545 TDB

Identity & availability

Stable catalog ID
telesto
JPL / NAIF satellite ID
613
Names & designations
Telesto · S/1980 S 13
Discovery / rediscovery years
1980B.A. Smith, H. Reitsema, S.M. Larson, J. Fountain

No validated dated trajectory admitted in catalog 1.0.0. Mean elements are not ephemerides.

No image or global texture admitted in this catalog release.No environment measurements admitted in this catalog release.

Sources & evidence

  1. JPL discovery circumstancestable tr[133] (zero-based); saturn / Telesto · References: IAU WGPSN
  2. MPC satellite namesitems[145]; Saturn 13
  3. JPL mean orbital elements#sat_elem row ID=128; Saturn / Telesto / NAIF 613 · References: 36
  4. NAIF PCK 00011BODY613_POLE_RA/POLE_DEC/PM/NUT_PREC_*; BODY6_NUT_PREC_ANGLES; active data blocks
  5. NAIF PCK 00011BODY613_RADII; active data block

Full catalog, uncertainty and source manifests · All Saturn moons · Moon model limits