Saturn's 62th moon:
- S/2007 S4
Full Version: A new Moon
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Odd that it wasn't first announced on an MPEC... usually IAUC announcements come later.
QUOTE (Jyril @ Jul 18 2007, 05:36 PM) 
Odd that it wasn't first announced on an MPEC... usually IAUC announcements come later.
Or not. Unobservable moons (i.e. Cassini discoveries) of course don't appear in MPECs.
Cool discovery, looks like the region between Mimas and Enceladus is a crowded place.
QUOTE (SigurRosFan @ Jul 18 2007, 02:36 PM)
Saturn's 62th moon
Actually 60th (or 63rd if you want to count the three uncertain moon candidates that are most likely transient F ring clumps).
Only a while time ago Jupiter had by far the largest number of satellites. Now Saturn needs only 4 new satellites in order to restore its place as the planet with most moons. Given that the smallest irregular satellites of Saturn are at least twice as large as Jupiter's, it is not far-fetched to claim that Saturn has far larger number of irregular satellites over 1 km in diameter. Not to mention Uranus and especially Neptune, whose Hill spheres are huge.
QUOTE (Jyril @ Jul 18 2007, 08:52 PM)
Given that the smallest irregular satellites of Saturn are at least twice as large as Jupiter's, it is not far-fetched to claim that Saturn has far larger number of irregular satellites over 1 km in diameter. Not to mention Uranus and especially Neptune, whose Hill spheres are huge.
Shall we call them "Dwarf" satellites
"...Shall we call them "Dwarf" satellites..."
I've long referred to the satellites inside Mimas as the "inner gravel" and Phoebe and beyond as the "outer gravel" with Titan and the round ice-balls being "big rocks" and "little rocks" by analogy. It's ice gravel or ice-and-dirt gravel, but it makes a point.
I've long referred to the satellites inside Mimas as the "inner gravel" and Phoebe and beyond as the "outer gravel" with Titan and the round ice-balls being "big rocks" and "little rocks" by analogy. It's ice gravel or ice-and-dirt gravel, but it makes a point.
With an estimated diameter of ~2 km is this the smallest known satellite of a planet? Its sure looking like Methone, Pallene and S/2007 S 4 might be part of a much larger 'family' of small satellites in the Mimas-Enceladus region.
JPL has has just posted a news feature on S/2007 S 4
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features/feature20070719.cfm
with links to two press releases
http://www.scitech.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/frank.aspx
and
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=3353
and the PIA discovery movie
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=3352
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features/feature20070719.cfm
with links to two press releases
http://www.scitech.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/frank.aspx
and
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=3353
and the PIA discovery movie
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=3352
QUOTE (pat @ Jul 19 2007, 11:58 AM)
With an estimated diameter of ~2 km is this the smallest known satellite of a planet? Its sure looking like Methone, Pallene and S/2007 S 4 might be part of a much larger 'family' of small satellites in the Mimas-Enceladus region.
It's the smallest known satellite of Saturn -- Jupiter may have a couple of satellites in the ~1 km range. Though I don't know how comparable or accurate these figures are at such small sizes.
This satellite now has a name, Anthe, after one of the Alkyonides.
these moons are so small, soon you might mistake cassini as a moon.
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