Anthe (moon)
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Discovery images of Anthe | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Cassini Imaging Team [1] |
| Discovery date | May 30, 2007 |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| 197,700 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.001 |
| 1.03650 d | |
| Inclination | 0.1° to Saturn's equator |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | 5×1012 kg[lower-alpha 1] |
| assumed synchronous | |
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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
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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