S/2004 S 31
Discovery[1]
Discovered bySheppard et al.
Discovery date2019
Designations
T522499[2]
Orbital characteristics [2]
17402800 km
Eccentricity0.242
853.80 days
Inclination48.11°
Satellite ofSaturn
GroupInuit group (Siarnaq)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
4+50%
−30% km
24.9

S/2004 S 31 is a natural satellite of Saturn and a member of the Inuit group. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, and Jan Kleyna on October 8, 2019 from observations taken between December 12, 2004 and March 22, 2007.[3]

S/2004 S 31 is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 17.568 Gm in 869.65 days, at an inclination of 48.8° to the ecliptic, with an eccentricity of 0.240.[3] The satellite is affected by the Kozai mechanism, and is noted to be the first known moon whose argument of periapsis oscillates around 270°.[4]

References

  1. ^ Discovery Circumstances from JPL
  2. ^ a b S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Saturn, Carnegie Science, on line
  3. ^ a b "MPEC 2019-T153 : S/2004 S 31". minorplanetcenter.net. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  4. ^ Jacobson, Robert A.; Brozović, Marina; Mastrodemos, Nickolaos; Riedel, Joseph E.; Sheppard, Scott S. (2022-11-07). "Ephemerides of the Irregular Saturnian Satellites from Earth-based Astrometry and Cassini Imaging*". The Astronomical Journal. 164 (6): 7. Bibcode:2022AJ....164..240J. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac98c7. ISSN 0004-6256.
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