Bebhionn is about 6 kilometres in diameter and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 16,898 Mm in 820.130 days at an inclination of 41° to the ecliptic (18° to Saturn's equator) and with an eccentricity of 0.333. The rotation period of Bebhionn was measured at 16.33±0.03 hours by the ISS camera of the Cassini spacecraft.[2][5] Bebhionn's light curve reflects an elongated shape with large variations in brightness, making it a leading candidate for a contact binary or binary moon.[3]
Name
The moon was named in April 2007 after Béibhinn (Béḃinn), an early Irish goddess of birth, who was renowned for her beauty. In Irish, Béibhinn/Béḃinn is pronounced [ˈbʲeːvʲiːn̠ʲ] (southern accents, English approximation /ˈbeɪviːn/BAY-veen) or [ˈbʲeːvʲɪn̠ʲ] (northern accents, English approximation /ˈbeɪvɪn/BAY-vin). The spelling "bh" (older "ḃ") indicates that the second consonant is softened to a "v" sound. The extra "o" in the unusual spelling Bebhionn suggests that the final "nn" should be broad[n̪ˠ], but is not itself pronounced. The name is still pronounced as a compound (and thus sometimes spelled Bé Binn etc.), so the unstressed vowel is not reduced to a schwa.
