S/2007 S 2

moon of Saturn

S/2007 S 2 is an unnamed moon of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 1, 2007, from observations taken between January 18 and April 19, 2007. Telescope used is the Subaru 8.3-m optical infrared telescope at Mauna Kea.

Overview change

S/2007 S2 is theorized to have a mean radius of 1.9 miles, assuming an albedo of 0.04. It is 6 kilometres in diameter and orbits Saturn at an eccentricity of about 0.218 and an inclination of about 176.68° at a mean distance of 10.4 million miles (average distance of 16,560,00 million kilometres) from Saturn.[1] The satellite was first thought to be orbiting for about 793 Earth days from its first discovery.[2] The satellite takes about 808 Earth days to complete one orbit.

Like Saturn's other irregular moons, S/2007 S2 is thought to be an object that was captured by Saturn's gravity, rather than having accreted from the dusty disk that surrounded the newly formed planet as the regular satellites are thought to have done.[1]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 "In Depth | S/2007 S2 – Solar System Exploration: NASA Science". Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  2. "IAUC 8836: S/2007 S 1, S/2007 S 2,, S/2007 S 3; (4951); P/2007 C2". www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2018-06-26.

Other websites change