Anthe (moon)

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Anthe
Discovery
Discovery images of Anthe
Discovered by	Cassini Imaging Team ^[1]
Discovery date	May 30, 2007
Orbital characteristics ^[2]
Semi-major axis	197,700 km
Eccentricity	0.001
Orbital period	1.03650 d
Inclination	0.1° to Saturn's equator
Satellite of	Saturn
Physical characteristics
Mass	5 ×10¹² kg ^{[lower-alpha 1]}
Mean density	unknown
Equatorial surface gravity	unknown
Rotation period	assumed synchronous
Axial tilt	unknown
Albedo	unknown

Anthe (/ˈænθiː/ AN-thee;^{[lower-alpha 2]} 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 10:11 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.

Material blasted off Anthe by micrometeoroid impacts is believed to the source of the Anthe Ring Arc, a faint partial ring about Saturn co-orbital with the moon first detected in June 2007.^[4]^[5]

References

Explanatory

Citations

↑ 1.0 1.1 Cassini Imaging Team.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 IAUC 8857.
↑ Agle 2007.
↑ Porco et al., 2008.
↑ Hedman et al., 2009.
↑ Assumed density of 1.2 g/cm³
↑ This name is too new to appear in dictionaries, but the OED has the analogous rhodanthe /roʊˈdænθiː/.

Sources

"Cassini Imaging Science Team". Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerationS. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
Agle, D. C. (July 19, 2007). "Saturn Turns 60". Cassini Solstice Mission. JPL/NASA. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
Green, Daniel W. E. (July 18, 2007). "S/ 2007 S 4". IAU Circular 8857. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
Hedman, M. M.; Murray, C. D.; Cooper, N. J.; Tiscareno, M. S.; Beurle, K.; Evans, M. W.; Burns, J. A. (2008-11-25). "Three tenuous rings/arcs for three tiny moons". Icarus 199 (2): 378–386. Bibcode:2009Icar..199..378H. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.11.001. ISSN 0019-1035.
Porco C. C., et al. (2008-09-05). "More Ring Arcs for Saturn". Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations web site. Retrieved 2008-09-05.

External links

Media related to Anthe at Wikimedia Commons

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Ring shepherds	S/2009 S 1 Propeller moonlets Pan Daphnis Atlas Prometheus ?(S/2004 S 6 S/2004 S 4 S/2004 S 3) Pandora

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Norse group	Phoebe Skathi S/2007 S 2 Skoll S/2004 S 13 Greip Hyrrokkin Mundilfari Jarnsaxa S/2006 S 1 S/2004 S 17 Narvi Bergelmir Aegir Suttungr S/2004 S 12 Bestla Farbauti Hati S/2004 S 7 Thrymr S/2007 S 3 S/2006 S 3 Surtur Kari Fenrir Ymir Loge Fornjot

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