Suttungr (moon)

Suttungr
Discovery images of Suttungr (circled) taken by the CFHT in September 2000
Discovery
Discovery date2000
Designations
Designation
Saturn XXIII
Pronunciation/ˈsʊtʊŋər/[1]
Named after
Suttungr
S/2000 S 12
AdjectivesSuttung /ˈsʊtʊŋ/,
Suttungian /sʊˈtʊŋiən/
Orbital characteristics[2]
19459000 km
Eccentricity0.114
−1016.7 days
Inclination175.8°
Satellite ofSaturn
GroupNorse group
Physical characteristics[3][4]
7+50%
−30% km
7.67±0.02 h
Albedo0.06 (assumed)
Spectral type
C
23.9
14.5

Suttungr /ˈsʊtʊŋər/, or Saturn XXIII, is a natural satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by Brett J. Gladman, et al. in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 12. It was named for Suttungr in Norse mythology, a Jötunn or giant who once owned the mead of poetry.

Suttungr is about 7 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 19,667 Mm in 1029.703 days. It may have formed from debris knocked off Phoebe. The Suttung orbit is retrograde, at an inclination of 174° to the ecliptic (151° to Saturn's equator) and with an eccentricity of 0.131. Its rotation period is 7.67±0.02 hours, and like Albiorix its light curve exhibits two minima at certain angles, and three minima at others.[3] Having a similar gray color and orbit as Thrymr, the two moons may be members of the same dynamical family.[4]

Its name was announced in its oblique form Suttung in IAU Circular 8177 Archived 2008-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. However, the IAU Working Group on Planetary System Nomenclature later decided to add the nominative suffix -r to the base form Suttung.

References

  1. ^ "Suttung". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Saturn, Carnegie Science, on line
  3. ^ a b Denk, T.; Mottola, S. (2019). Cassini Observations of Saturn's Irregular Moons (PDF). 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Lunar and Planetary Institute.
  4. ^ a b Denk, Tilmann; Mottola, Stefano; Tosi, Frederico; Bottke, William F.; Hamilton, Douglas P. (2018). "The Irregular Satellites of Saturn" (PDF). In Schenk, P.M.; Clark, R.N.; Howett, C.J.A.; Verbiscer, A.J.; Waite, J.H. (eds.). Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn. Space Science Series. Vol. 322. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. pp. 409–434. Bibcode:2018eims.book..409D. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816537075-ch020. ISBN 9780816537075.