 Bergelmir imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in September 2014 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna, and B. Marsden |
| Discovery date | May 4, 2005 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Saturn XXXVIII |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛərjɛlmɪər/ or /ˈbɜːrɡəlmɪər/[1] |
Named after | Bergelmir |
| S/2004 S 15 | |
| Adjectives | Bergelmian[2] |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 19,338,000 km[3] | |
| Eccentricity | 0.142[3] |
| 1,006.659 d[4] | |
| Inclination | 158.5°[3] |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
| Group | Norse group |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 5+50% −30% km[4] |
| 8.13±0.09 h[4] | |
Bergelmir or Saturn XXXVIII (provisional designation S/2004 S 15) is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005, from observations taken between December 12, 2004, and March 9, 2005.
Bergelmir is about 6 kilometers (4 miles) in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 19,372 Mm in 1006.659 days, at an inclination of 157° to the ecliptic (134° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.152. Its rotation period is 8.13±0.09 hours.[4]
It was named in April 2007 after Bergelmir, a giant from Norse mythology and the grandson of Ymir, the primordial giant. Bergelmir and his wife alone among their kind were the only survivors of the enormous deluge of blood from Ymir's wounds when he was killed by Odin and his brothers at the dawn of time. Bergelmir then became the progenitor of a new race of giants.
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