Anthe (moon)
Discovery images of Anthe
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Discovery
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| Discovered by | CICLOPS Team [1] |
| Discovery date | May 30, 2007 |
| Semi-major axis | 197,700 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.001 |
| Orbital period | 1.03650 d |
| Inclination | 0.1° to Saturn's equator |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
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Physical characteristics
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| Mean radius | ≈ 1 km |
| Mass | 5 ×1012 kg [a] |
| Mean density | unknown |
| Equatorial surface gravity | unknown |
| Rotation period | assumed synchronous |
| Axial tilt | unknown |
| Albedo | unknown |
Anthe (
/ˈænθiː/ an-thee;[b] Greek: Άνθη) is a very small natural satellite of Saturn lying between the orbits of Mimas and Enceladus. It is also known as Saturn XLIX; its provisional designation was S/2007 S 4. It is named after one of the Alkyonides; the name means flowery. It is the sixtieth confirmed moon of Saturn.[3]
It was discovered by the Cassini Imaging Team[1] in images taken on May 30, 2007.[2] Once the discovery was made, a search of older Cassini images revealed this small satellite in observations from as far back as June 2004. It was first announced on July 18, 2007.[2]
Anthe is visibly affected by a perturbing mean-longitude resonance with the much larger Mimas. This causes its osculating orbital elements to vary with an amplitude of about 20 km in semi-major axis on a timescale of about 2 Earth years. The close proximity to the orbits of Pallene and Methone suggests that these moons may form a dynamical family.
[edit] References
Explanatory
Citations
Sources
- "Cassini Imaging Science Team". Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerationS. http://ciclops.org/team/iss_team.php. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- Agle, D. C. (July 19, 2007). "Saturn Turns 60". Cassini Solstice Mission. JPL/NASA. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassinifeatures/feature20070719/. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- Green, Daniel W. E. (July 18, 2007). "S/ 2007 S 4". IAU Circular 8857. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/08800/08857.html. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
[edit] External links
Media related to Anthe at Wikimedia Commons
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