Why it matters

Odysseus anchors the Saturn branch as a giant crater on an icy body: scale, preservation, and clear form.

What happenedOne of Tethys's largest craters, comparable in scale to the visual identity of the moon itself.
Why it mattersOdysseus anchors the Saturn branch as a giant crater on an icy body: scale, preservation, and clear form.
How scientists knowGazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library

Measurements and uncertainty

Diameter445 km
Depthnot listed
Ageancient impact basin
StatusConfirmed
Coordinates32.820° N / 128.890° W
Record levelextended

Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.

Scientific profile

On small icy bodies, huge impacts can create structures occupying a large fraction of the disk and shaping how relief is read afterward.

Data provenanceGazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library

Reconstruction gallery

More visual readings of the crater

If verified imagery is not enough, the profile receives a scientific reconstruction: not fantasy in place of fact, but a visual hypothesis clearly separated from sources.

World paletteicy turquoise, deep space, and distant moons
Scientific reconstruction: the huge Odysseus bowl on icy Tethys.
Current visual previewBase plate: source image, satellite material, or editorial plate where visual reading begins.
Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Visual reconstruction

Reverse reconstruction → Chronological inversion → Bidirectional analysis → The present as an archive of the future

Every profile needs a visualization preview: an existing image, an aesthetically treated source, or a scientific reconstruction.

Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
Bidirectional analysischecking past-to-present and present-to-past interpretations
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Research history

The name was adopted by the IAU in 1982 and appears in the official nomenclature of Tethys.

Sources

CSVJSONOdysseus on Tethys. Crater.world record. Last reviewed 2026-05-08.
Last reviewed
2026-05-08
Source baseline
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library
Uncertainty note
Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.
Gazetteer of Planetary NomenclatureInternational Astronomical Union / USGSNASA Image and Video LibraryNASA

Education mode

Facts

  • Official diameter: about 445 km.
  • Named after the hero of the Odyssey.
  • Shows the scale of impacts on small icy bodies.
Glossaryejecta, impact melt, breccia, central peak, erosion
Classroom questionWhich evidence separates an impact crater from a volcanic caldera?
CompareOccator