Skoll or Saturn XLVII (provisional designation S/2006 S 8) is a retrograde irregular satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt and Jan Kleyna on 26 June 2006 from observations taken between 5 January and 30 April 2006.[2][6]
 Image of Skoll taken by Cassini on February 23, 2016 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. S. Sheppard D. C. Jewitt J. Kleyna |
| Discovery date | 2006 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Saturn XLVII |
| Pronunciation | English: /skɒl/ Old Norse: [skœlː] (approximately /skɜːrl/) |
Named after | Sköll |
| S/2006 S 8 | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| 17560000 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.418 |
| 869 days (2.38 yr) | |
| Inclination | 156° |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
| Group | Norse group |
| Physical characteristics[3][4] | |
| 5+50% −30% km | |
| 7.26±0.09? h | |
| Albedo | 0.06 (assumed) |
Spectral type | r – i = 0.36 ± 0.08[5] |
| 24.5 | |
| 15.4 | |
Skoll is about 5 kilometres in diameter (assuming an albedo of 0.06)[3] and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 17.6 Gm (million km) in 869 days, following a highly eccentric and moderately inclined orbit.[7] A rotation period of 7.26±0.04 h was obtained by Cassini–Huygens in 2016, but this is in strong disagreement with 2013 data for unknown reasons; one possible explanation is variation in the rotation speed and axis due to Milankovitch wobble.[4]
It was named in April 2007 after Sköll, a giant wolf from Norse mythology, son of Fenrir and twin brother of Hati.[8]
References
edit- ^ Discovery Circumstances from JPL
- ^ a b "MPEC 2006-M45: Eight New Satellites of Saturn". 26 June 2006.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Denk, T.; Mottola, S.; Bottke, W. F.; Hamilton, D. P. (2018). "The Irregular Satellites of Saturn". Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn (PDF). Vol. 322. University of Arizona Press. pp. 409–434. Bibcode:2018eims.book..409D. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816537075-ch020. ISBN 9780816537488.
- ^ Peña, José; Fuentes, Cesar (17 May 2022). "Colors of Irregular Satellites of Saturn with the Dark Energy Camera". The Astronomical Journal. 163 (6): 274. arXiv:2204.08391. Bibcode:2022AJ....163..274P. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac6258. ISSN 1538-3881.
- ^ IAUC 8727: Satellites of Saturn 30 June 2006 (discovery)
- ^ Scott Sheppard's pages
- ^ "IAUC 8826: Sats OF JUPITER, SATURN; RING OF URANUS; 2006 VV_2". www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
External links
edit
- MPC: Natural Satellites Ephemeris Service
- Mean orbital parameters from NASA JPL
- David Jewitt's pages