Guabonito Is Large Ringed Feature on Titan's Anti-Saturn Side

Summary: Guabonito is a large ringed feature on Titan's anti-Saturn side that lies in eastern Shangri-La, a dark albedo feature in the equatorial belt.

Image, obtained April 30, 2006, with the Cassini spacecraft's Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument, shows Guabonito (center) as bright-rimmed, dark-infilled circular feature in eastern margin of dark albedo feature Shangri-La, near Shangri-La's bright albedo eastern neighbor, Xanadu (center-to-lower right); image addition date 2006-05-03; image credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal

Guabonito is a large ringed feature on Titan's anti-Saturn side that lies in eastern Shangri-La, a dark albedo feature centered in the southern equatorial belt.

Guabonito is centered at minus 10.9 degrees south latitude, 150.8 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The large ringed feature obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 10.2 degrees south and minus 11.5 degrees south, respectively. It posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 149.8 degrees west and 151.3 degrees west, respectively. Guabonito has a diameter of 55 kilometers.

The large ringed feature's center coordinates place it in eastern Shangri-La, an equatorial dark albedo feature. Shangri-La is centered at minus 10 degrees south latitude, 165 degrees west longitude.

Kerguelen Facula and Shikoku Facula reside as Guabonito's nearest named neighbors in eastern Shangri-La. Kerguelen Facula lies to the north of Guabonito. Shikoku Facula is sited to the northwest of Guabonito.

Guabonito's nearest named northern neighbor, Kerguelen Facula, is centered at minus 5.4 degrees south latitude, 151 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at minus 4.3 degrees south and minus 7.4 degrees south, respectively. The bright spot (Latin: facula, "little torch") establishes its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 149.5 degrees west and 152.5 degrees west, respectively. Kerguelen Facula's diameter measures 135 kilometers.

Shikoku Facula is centered at minus 10.4 degrees south latitude, 164.1 degrees west longitude. The bright spot posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 7 degrees south and minus 13.3 degrees south, respectively. It marks its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 161.9 degrees west and 166.6 degrees west, respectively. Shikoku Facula's diameter measures 285 kilometers.

A large ringed feature is defined as "Cryptic ringed features," according to the Descriptor Terms (Feature Types) provided by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) via the group's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The Planetary Geomatics Group of the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Astrogeology Science Center maintains the online Gazetteer.

Guabonito numbers as one of four large ringed features on Titan. All four are positioned in Titan's equatorial belt.

Nath resides distantly to the southeast of Guabonito. It is centered at minus 30.5 degrees south latitude, 7.7 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 29.5 degrees south and minus 31.6 degrees south, respectively. The southern equatorial and mid-latitude occupant records easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 6.5 degrees west and 8.8 degrees west, respectively. Nath has a diameter of 95 kilometers.

Paxsi lies far to the northwest of Guabonito in the northern equatorial latitudes. It is centered at 5 degrees north latitude, 341.2 degrees west longitude. Paxsi obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 6.7 degrees north and 3.7 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 339.8 degrees west and 342.6 degrees west, respectively. Paxsi has a diameter of 120 kilometers.

Its location to the northeast of Guabonito in eastern Shangri-La qualifies Veles as the large ringed feature that lies the closest to Guabonito. It is centered at 2 degrees north latitude, 137.3 degrees west longitude. Veles registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 2.4 degrees north and 1.6 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes touch 136.9 degrees west and 137.8 degrees west, respectively. Veles has a diameter of 45 kilometers.

Guabonito's first discovery occurred from images obtained during observations made by the Cassini spacecraft's Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS), according to planetary geologist Charles A. Wood and six co-authors in their study, "Impact Craters on Titan," published in the March 2010 issue of Icarus (page 140). The observations were obtained during the first two close flybys of Titan, which took place Oct. 26, 2004 (TA), and Dec. 13, 2004 (TB), according to planetary scientist Carolyn Porco and 35 co-authors in "Imaging of Titan From the Cassini Spacecraft," published in the March 10, 2005, issue of Nature. The ISS observations acquired by the two close flybys were preceded by ISS images obtained from a distant, first encounter, designated as T0, on July 2, 2004 (page 159).

These first images present Guabonito as a "bright ring," as described by Charles Wood and his six co-authors. High-resolution radar images reveal Guabonito's ". . . massive and wide, relatively smooth . . ." rim. Guabonito appears as the 27th of 49 entries in the study's Catalog of Titan Impact Craters Ta Through T39 (Table 1, page 335). The table's description notes "Guabonito -- massive brt rim, dk floor (dunes), surrounded by dunes."

The International Astronomical Union approved Guabonito's name in 2006. The Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature indicates Guabonito as "Taino Indian (Antilles) sea goddess who taught the use of amulets." Titanean craters and ringed features receive names of "Gods and goddesses of wisdom," according to the Gazetter of Planetary Nomenclature's documentation page, "Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites."

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Guabonito (lower center) in eastern Shangri-La: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

Image, obtained April 30, 2006, with the Cassini spacecraft's Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument, shows Guabonito (center) as bright-rimmed, dark-infilled circular feature in eastern margin of dark albedo feature Shangri-La, near Shangri-La's bright albedo eastern neighbor, Xanadu (center-to-lower right); image addition date 2006-05-03; image credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08425

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Guabonito (lower center) in eastern Shangri-La: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Titan_comp_ISSimage.pdf

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