Science quiz: The discovery of Epimetheus

1 / 6 |
Visual: The moon is named for a titan in Greek mythology who is the brother of Y. Together, Epimetheus and Y stand for Hindsight and Foresight. Name Y, the image depicts him performing a legendary action.

2 / 6 |
Name the American astronomer credited with discovering Epimetheus. He was actually verifying Audoin Dollfus’s images, in which the latter had discovered a different moon. Astronomers later realised the moon the American had spotted was a new one: Epimitheus.

3 / 6 |
Epimetheus shares its orbit with another moon, X, the one Audoin Dollfus had found. Kepler’s laws stipulate that the moon closer to Saturn should complete its orbit first, but the two moons’ orbits differ so little that they complete their orbits only 30 seconds apart. Name X.

4 / 6 |
The two moons, Epimethius and X from Q2, periodically catch up with each other as they move around Saturn, and ____ ______. Fill in the blanks with an unusual phenomenon that’s the result of the moons’ gravitational interaction causing them to share and redistribute their momentum.

5 / 6 |
Both Epimetheus and X (from Q2) are together called ________ _____ because they have enough mass for their gravitational pull to sweep up any dust and rocks in their respective orbits. Other examples of such moons include Daphnis. Fill in the blanks.

6 / 6 |
Epimetheus appears to have darker terrain and smoother terrain as two types, and astronomers have reasons to believe the material in both areas is rich in _____ ___. Fill in the blanks.