Jarnsaxa (/jɑːrnˈsæksə/), also known as Saturn L (provisional designation S/2006 S 6), is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006, from observations taken between January 5 and April 29, 2006.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard David C. Jewitt Jan T. Kleyna Brian G. Marsden |
| Discovery date | June 26, 2006 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Saturn L |
Named after | Járnsaxa |
| S/2006 S 6 | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| 18811000 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.216 |
| −964.7 days | |
| Inclination | 163.3° |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
| Group | Norse group |
| Physical characteristics[2] | |
| 4 km | |
| Albedo | 0.06 (assumed) |
| 24.7 | |
| 15.6 | |
Jarnsaxa is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 18,556.9 Mm in 943.784 days, at an inclination of 162.9° to the ecliptic (164.1° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.1918. It is a member of the Norse group of irregular satellites.
It is named after Járnsaxa, a giantess in Norse mythology.
References
edit- ^ S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Saturn, Carnegie Science, on line
- ^ 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.
External links
edit- Institute for Astronomy Saturn Satellite Data
- IAUC 8727: Satellites of Saturn June 30, 2006 (discovery)
- MPEC 2006-M45: Eight New Satellites of Saturn June 26, 2006 (discovery and ephemeris)
- MPEC 2007-D79: S/2006 S 6 February 28, 2007 (recovery)
- IAUC 8873: Satellites of Saturn September 20, 2007 (naming)