en Skoll (moon)

Skoll
	Image of Skoll taken by Cassini on February 23, 2016
Discovery
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
Alternative names	S/2006 S 8
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis	17560000 km
Eccentricity	0.418
Orbital period (sidereal)	869 days ; (2.38 yr)
Inclination	156°
Satellite of	Saturn
Group	Norse group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	5+50%; −30% km
Synodic rotation period	7.26±0.09? h
Albedo	0.06 (assumed)
Spectral type	r – i = 0.36 ± 0.08
Apparent magnitude	24.5
Absolute magnitude (H)	15.4

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]

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

^ 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

MPC: Natural Satellites Ephemeris Service
Mean orbital parameters from NASA JPL
David Jewitt's pages

[Discoverers_JPL-1] Discovery Circumstances from JPL

[MPEC-2] "MPEC 2006-M45: Eight New Satellites of Saturn". 26 June 2006.

[LPSC2654-3] Denk, T.; Mottola, S. (2019). Cassini Observations of Saturn's Irregular Moons (PDF). 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Lunar and Planetary Institute.

[Denk2018-4] 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.

[5] 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.

[6] IAUC 8727: Satellites of Saturn 30 June 2006 (discovery)

[SheppardPage-7] Scott Sheppard's pages

[8] "IAUC 8826: Sats OF JUPITER, SATURN; RING OF URANUS; 2006 VV_2". www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu. Retrieved 6 October 2022.

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