Hyperion

Hyperion — moon orbiting Saturn, shown live in Cosmoscope, a real-time 3D map of the universe.

The sponge moon: so porous that impacts punch in rather than splash out, and tumbling so chaotically that no one can predict which face will greet the dawn.

Radius
135 km
Orbit
1,481k km from Saturn
Period
21.28 days
Rotation
Chaotic — it tumbles unpredictably
Texture
A giant sponge of ice

Seeing Hyperion in real time

Cosmoscope puts Hyperion at its true position in the solar system, computed from JPL-derived ephemeris and updated continuously. Open the live 3D view to see, in real time, how far Hyperion is from the Sun and from Earth right now, how many minutes or hours light takes to cross that gap, and how fast it is moving along its orbit. Scrub the timeline to place Hyperion where it was on any past date, or where it will be years from now.

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Interactive universe
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