Psamathe (moon)
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Psamathe (sam'-ə-thee, IPA: [ʼsæməθi], Latin Psamathē from Greek Ψαμάθη) or Neptune X, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Neptune.
Psamathe was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and David C. Jewitt in 2003. It orbits Neptune at a distance of about 46,695,000 km and remarkably takes almost 25 Earth years to make one orbit. It is about 24 kilometers in diameter.
It is named after Psamathe, one of the Nereids. It was formerly known by the provisional designation S/2003 N 1.
- Eccentricity: 0.4499
- Orbital inclination: 146.60° (to Neptune's equator), 124.39° (to the ecliptic)
Given the similarity of the orbit's parameters with S/2002 N 4, it was suggested that both irregular satellites could have a common origin in the break-up of a larger moon.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna A Survey for "Normal" Irregular Satellites Around Neptune: Limits to Completeness. Preprint.
| Moons of Neptune | |
|---|---|
| Naiad · Thalassa · Despina · Galatea · Larissa · Proteus · Triton · Nereid · S/2002 N 1 · S/2002 N 2 · S/2002 N 3 · Psamathe · S/2002 N 4 | |
| Neptune Trojans • Rings of Neptune |
