What are the moons of Saturn?

Saturn has the most moons in the solar system. While determining an exact number is difficult, there are 274 known moons. These moons form a complex system with Saturn's rings, and new moons are still being discovered. The innermost moons have regular orbits, with low inclinations and eccentricities. The eight largest moons likely formed along Saturn's equatorial plane from a protoplanetary disk. Titan is Saturn's largest moon, notable for its dense atmosphere and liquid lakes. Other significant moons include Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, and Iapetus. The outer moons are irregular, with eccentric and inclined orbits, and many move in a retrograde direction.

How many moons does Saturn have?

Saturn has the most moons of any planet in the solar system. While determining an exact number is difficult because it's hard to distinguish between the largest ring particles and the smallest moons, as of today, Saturn has 274 known moons. These moons, along with Saturn's rings, form a single, complex system. The orbits of the innermost moons lie within or between the outermost rings, and new moons are still being discovered embedded in the ring structure. Some of Saturn's moons are of interest because they have conditions that may be favorable for life. For example, Enceladus has geysers that spew out water and organic molecules.

What is Titan, and why is it important among Saturn’s moons?

Titan is Saturn's largest moon and the second-largest moon in the solar system. It is unique because it possesses a dense atmosphere, clouds, and liquid lakes, setting it apart from other moons. Titan's importance stems from its Earth-like qualities. Its nitrogen-rich atmosphere is similar to Earth's, and it experiences erosion processes like wind and rain (of liquid methane). The presence of complex organic compounds and active geological processes on Titan's surface has led scientists to consider that it may be a laboratory for studying the types of organic molecules and the chemical processes that led to the origin of life on Earth four billion years ago.

How do Saturn’s moons differ in size and appearance?

Saturn's moons exhibit considerable diversity in size and appearance. They range from tiny bodies to Titan, which has a diameter of 5,150 km. Titan is the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds and a dense atmosphere. It is also the only body other than Earth that is known to currently have liquid on its surface. Other moons, such as Enceladus, have smooth, crater-free areas, ridged plains, and spectral data that indicates an almost pure water ice surface. The surface of Iapetus shows a striking difference in reflectivity between its leading and trailing hemispheres. Mimas has a heavily cratered surface with one enormous impact crater.

What are some interesting features found on Saturn’s moons?

Saturn is orbited by a complex system of objects, including 274 known moons. These moons have unique features: Titan is the only moon in the solar system with clouds, a dense atmosphere, and liquid lakes. Its surface is sculpted by wind and rain (liquid methane), with river channels and lakes of liquid hydrocarbons. Enceladus has a surface of almost pure water ice and a south polar hot spot with geysers spewing water thousands of kilometers into space, forming one of Saturn’s rings. These plumes likely originate from a subsurface ocean with hydrothermal vents. Mimas has a heavily cratered surface and one of the largest impact structures in the solar system relative to its size, the Herschel crater.

How have spacecraft like Cassini helped us learn about Saturn’s moons?

Spacecraft, such as Cassini-Huygens , have greatly advanced our understanding of Saturn's moons. Cassini, in particular, discovered six new moons and two new rings of Saturn. It also found geysers of water ice and organic molecules on Enceladus, erupting from a possible underground ocean that could potentially support life. Furthermore, Cassini's radar mapped much of Titan's surface and found large lakes of liquid methane. The Huygens probe was the first spacecraft to land on a planetary surface in the outer solar system, carrying out various physical and chemical measurements of Titan’s atmosphere and transmitting high-resolution images as it descended by parachute.

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Top Questions

What are the moons of Saturn?
Saturn has the most moons in the solar system. While determining an exact number is difficult, there are 274 known moons. These moons form a complex system with Saturn's rings, and new moons are still being discovered.

The innermost moons have regular orbits, with low inclinations and eccentricities. The eight largest moons likely formed along Saturn's equatorial plane from a protoplanetary disk.

Titan is Saturn's largest moon, notable for its dense atmosphere and liquid lakes. Other significant moons include Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, and Iapetus. The outer moons are irregular, with eccentric and inclined orbits, and many move in a retrograde direction.
1 Britannica Source
1. Saturn: Significant satellites
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How many moons does Saturn have?
Saturn has the most moons of any planet in the solar system. While determining an exact number is difficult because it's hard to distinguish between the largest ring particles and the smallest moons, as of today, Saturn has 274 known moons. These moons, along with Saturn's rings, form a single, complex system. The orbits of the innermost moons lie within or between the outermost rings, and new moons are still being discovered embedded in the ring structure.

Some of Saturn's moons are of interest because they have conditions that may be favorable for life. For example, Enceladus has geysers that spew out water and organic molecules.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is Titan, and why is it important among Saturn’s moons?
Titan is Saturn's largest moon and the second-largest moon in the solar system. It is unique because it possesses a dense atmosphere, clouds, and liquid lakes, setting it apart from other moons.

Titan's importance stems from its Earth-like qualities. Its nitrogen-rich atmosphere is similar to Earth's, and it experiences erosion processes like wind and rain (of liquid methane). The presence of complex organic compounds and active geological processes on Titan's surface has led scientists to consider that it may be a laboratory for studying the types of organic molecules and the chemical processes that led to the origin of life on Earth four billion years ago.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Saturn: Significant satellites
2. Titan: Structure
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do Saturn’s moons differ in size and appearance?
Saturn's moons exhibit considerable diversity in size and appearance. They range from tiny bodies to Titan, which has a diameter of 5,150 km.

Titan is the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds and a dense atmosphere. It is also the only body other than Earth that is known to currently have liquid on its surface. Other moons, such as Enceladus, have smooth, crater-free areas, ridged plains, and spectral data that indicates an almost pure water ice surface. The surface of Iapetus shows a striking difference in reflectivity between its leading and trailing hemispheres. Mimas has a heavily cratered surface with one enormous impact crater.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some interesting features found on Saturn’s moons?
Saturn is orbited by a complex system of objects, including 274 known moons. These moons have unique features:
- Titan is the only moon in the solar system with clouds, a dense atmosphere, and liquid lakes. Its surface is sculpted by wind and rain (liquid methane), with river channels and lakes of liquid hydrocarbons.
- Enceladus has a surface of almost pure water ice and a south polar hot spot with geysers spewing water thousands of kilometers into space, forming one of Saturn’s rings. These plumes likely originate from a subsurface ocean with hydrothermal vents.
- Mimas has a heavily cratered surface and one of the largest impact structures in the solar system relative to its size, the Herschel crater.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How have spacecraft like Cassini helped us learn about Saturn’s moons?
Spacecraft, such as Cassini-Huygens, have greatly advanced our understanding of Saturn's moons. Cassini, in particular, discovered six new moons and two new rings of Saturn. It also found geysers of water ice and organic molecules on Enceladus, erupting from a possible underground ocean that could potentially support life. Furthermore, Cassini's radar mapped much of Titan's surface and found large lakes of liquid methane. The Huygens probe was the first spacecraft to land on a planetary surface in the outer solar system, carrying out various physical and chemical measurements of Titan’s atmosphere and transmitting high-resolution images as it descended by parachute.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Saturn has the most moons of any planet in the solar system, with 274 known as of 2025. Many of these are small satellites that orbit far from Saturn. The largest moons orbit close to the planet and were discovered telescopically before the 20th century. The largest moon, Titan, even has an atmosphere and is the only solar system moon to have one.

More small moons were discovered by the Voyager probes when they flew by Saturn in 1980 and 1981. Many of the small moons were discovered by surveys that sought to discover such bodies.

The earliest satellites discovered were named for the Titans of Greek mythology. More recently discovered satellites have been given names of giants and spirits from legends of the Norse, the Inuit, and the Gauls. Some of the moons of Saturn are listed below in order of increasing distance from the planet, with the year of their discovery, orbital period in days, and diameter in kilometers.

name	year discovered	distance from Saturn (km)	orbital period (days)	diameter (km)
S/2009 S1	2009	117,000	0.472	0.3
Pan	1981	133,600	0.575	20
Daphnis	2005	136,500	0.594	7
Atlas	1980	137,700	0.602	32
Prometheus	1980	139,400	0.613	100
Pandora	1980	141,700	0.629	84
Epimetheus	1980	151,400	0.69	119
Janus	1980	151,500	0.7	178
Aegaeon	2008	167,500	0.808	0.5
Mimas	1789	185,539	0.94	397
Methone	2004	194,000	1.01	3
Anthe	2004	197,700	1.04	1
Pallene	2004	211,000	1.14	4
Enceladus	1789	238,042	1.37	499
Tethys	1684	294,672	1.89	1,060
Calypso	1980	294,720	1.89	19
Telesto	1980	294,720	1.89	24
Polydeuces	2004	377,220	2.74	4
Dione	1684	377,415	2.74	1,118
Helene	1980	377,440	2.74	32
Rhea	1672	527,068	4.518	1,528
Titan	1655	1,221,865	15.95	5,150
Hyperion	1848	1,500,933	21.28	266
Iapetus	1671	3,560,854	79.33	1,436
Kiviuq	2000	11,111,000	449.2	16
Ijiraq	2000	11,124,000	451.4	12
S/2019 S1	2019	11,251,000	445.6	3
S/2005 S4	2005	11,333,000	450.2	4
S/2020 S1	2020	11,370,000	451.1	2
Phoebe	1898	12,944,300	548.2	240
S/2006 S20	2006	13,199,000	567.3	3
S/2006 S9	2006	14,492,000	647.9	2
Paaliaq	2000	15,200,000	686.9	22
Skathi	2000	15,541,000	728.2	8
S/2007 S2	2007	15,850,000	742.08	4
S/2007 S7	2007	15,861,200	754.3	2
S/2007 S5	2007	15,942,000	746.9	2
S/2004 S37	2004	16,003,300	752.88	4
S/2004 S47	2004	16,044,000	762.5	2
Albiorix	2000	16,182,000	783.5	32
S/2004 S40	2004	16,189,000	764.6	2
S/2019 S2	2019	16,613,000	799.8	2
S/2007 S8	2007	17,040,000	836.9	2
Bebhionn	2004	17,119,000	834.8	6
S/2019 S3	2019	17,171,000	837.7	2
S/2020 S7	2020	17,283,000	861.7	2
Erriapus	2000	17,343,000	871.2	10
S/2004 S31	2004	17,402,800	853.8	4
S/2004 S29	2004	17,470,700	858.77	4
Siarnaq	2000	17,531,000	895.6	40
Skoll	2006	17,665,000	878.3	6
S/2004 S41	2004	17,970,000	914.6	2
S/2020 S3	2020	17,980,000	908	2
Tarvos	2000	17,983,000	926.2	15
S/2019 S4	2019	18,005,000	904.3	2
Tarqeq	2007	18,009,000	887.5	7
S/2019 S14	2019	18,053,000	893.1	2
S/2020 S2	2020	18,120,000	897.6	2
S/2020 S4	2020	18,165,000	926.9	2
S/2004 S42	2004	18,168,000	925.9	2
Greip	2006	18,206,000	921.2	6
Hyrrokkin	2004	18,437,000	931.8	8
S/2020 S5	2020	18,470,000	933.9	2
S/2004 S13	2004	18,540,000	939	3
S/2007 S6	2007	18,614,000	949.5	2
Mundilfari	2000	18,685,000	952.6	7
S/2006 S1	2006	18,735,600	953.7	5
Jarnsaxa	2006	18,811,000	964.7	6
S/2006 S10	2006	18,888,000	983.1	2
S/2004 S43	2004	18,969,000	980.1	2
S/2019 S5	2019	18,970,000	990.4	2
Narvi	2003	19,007,000	1,003.9	7
Gridr	2004	19,211,000	990.23	4
Bergelmir	2004	19,338,000	1,005.9	6
S/2007 S3	2007	19,441,300	1,012	5
Suttungr	2000	19,459,000	1,016.7	7
S/2004 S44	2004	19,531,000	1,026.2	3
S/2006 S11	2006	19,576,000	1,042.3	2
Eggther	2004	19,776,700	1,033	4
Hati	2004	19,856,000	1,038.7	6
S/2006 S12	2006	19,890,000	1,035.1	2
S/2004 S17	2004	19,900,000	1,045	3
S/2004 S12	2004	19,905,000	1,045	4
S/2019 S6	2019	20,050,000	1,066.4	2
S/2004 S45	2004	20,091,000	1,038.7	3
S/2006 S13	2006	20,127,000	1,060.6	2
Bestla	2004	20,129,000	1,083.6	7
S/2004 S46	2004	20,268,000	1,107.6	2
S/2019 S8	2019	20,364,000	1,088.7	2
Angrboda	2004	20,379,900	1,080.4	3
Farbauti	2004	20,390,000	1,086.1	5
Beli	2004	20,424,000	1,084.1	3
Thrymr	2000	20,474,000	1,094.3	7
S/2019 S7	2019	20,530,000	1,080.3	2
Gerd	2004	20,544,500	1,095	3
S/2019 S11	2019	20,574,000	1,115	2
S/2007 S9	2007	20,603,000	1,078.1	2
S/2019 S9	2019	20,661,000	1,093.1	2
Aegir	2004	20,735,000	1,116.5	6
S/2019 S10	2019	20,974,000	1,123	2
S/2019 S12	2019	20,985,000	1,138.8	2
S/2019 S13	2019	21,016,000	1,144.9	2
S/2005 S5	2005	21,087,000	1,177.8	2
S/2020 S6	2020	21,216,000	1,168.9	2
S/2006 S14	2006	21,235,000	1,152.7	2
S/2019 S15	2019	21,303,000	1,161.5	2
S/2006 S3	2006	21,408,300	1,164.3	5
Skrymir	2004	21,427,000	1,164.3	4
Gunnlod	2004	21,564,200	1,175.3	4
S/2004 S07	2004	21,610,000	1,183	5
S/2006 S15	2006	21,638,000	1,214	2
S/2004 S28	2004	21,791,300	1,197.2	4
S/2020 S8	2020	21,859,000	1,228.1	2
Alvaldi	2004	21,953,200	1,208.1	4
S/2006 S16	2006	22,050,000	1,207.5	2
S/2004 S50	2004	22,070,000	1,260.4	2
Kari	2006	22,118,000	1,233.6	7
S/2004 S48	2004	22,422,000	1,242.4	3
Fenrir	2004	22,453,000	1,260.3	4
S/2006 S17	2006	22,590,000	1,264.6	3
Surtur	2006	22,707,000	1,297.7	6
S/2004 S39	2004	22,790,400	1,277.5	2
S/2004 S49	2004	22,920,000	1,264.3	2
Geirrod	2004	23,006,200	1,295.8	4
Ymir	2000	23,040,000	1,315.4	18
Loge	2006	23,065,000	1,312	6
S/2004 S24	2004	23,231,300	1,317.6	3
S/2006 S19	2006	23,255,000	1,389.3	2
S/2019 S17	2019	23,300,000	1,291.4	3
S/2006 S18	2006	23,319,000	1,298.4	3
S/2019 S19	2019	23,535,000	1,318	2
S/2019 S20	2019	23,547,000	1,375.4	2
S/2019 S18	2019	23,619,000	1,327.1	2
S/2004 S36	2004	23,698,700	1,354.2	3
S/2019 S16	2019	23,741,000	1,341.2	2
Thiazzi	2004	23,764,800	1,361.5	4
S/2004 S21	2004	23,810,400	1,365.1	3
S/2004 S53	2004	23,828,000	1,342.4	2
S/2004 S34	2004	24,358,900	1,412.5	3
Fornjot	2004	25,108,000	1,490.9	6
S/2020 S10	2020	25,113,000	1,527.2	2
S/2004 S51	2004	25,840,000	1,519.4	3
S/2020 S9	2020	26,070,000	1,535	2
S/2019 S21	2019	26,146,000	1,636.3	2
S/2004 S52	2004	26,160,000	1,634	2
S/2004 S26	2004	26,737,800	1,624.2	4

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.

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