Fornjot (moon)
Fornjot (/ˈfɔːrnjɒt/ FOR-nyot), or Saturn XLII (provisional designation S/2004 S 8), is the outermost natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on 4 May 2005 from observations taken between 12 December 2004, and 11 March 2005.
It is about 6 kilometres in diameter, and it orbits Saturn at an average distance of 23,609 Mm in 1354 d at an inclination of 168° to the ecliptic (160° to Saturn's equator) in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.186.
Fornjot was named after Fornjót, a giant in Norse mythology.
References
- Institute for Astronomy Saturn Satellite Data
- Jewitt's New Satellites of Saturn page
- IAUC 8523: New Satellites of Saturn May 4, 2005 (discovery)
- MPEC 2005-J13: Twelve New Satellites of Saturn May 3, 2005 (discovery and ephemeris)
- IAUC 8826: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn April 5, 2007 (naming the moon)
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