Fornjot (moon)

Fornjot
Discovery
Fornjot imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in March 2014
Discovered by	Scott S. Sheppard David C. Jewitt Jan T. Kleyna Brian G. Marsden
Discovery date	December 2004
Designations
Designation	Saturn XLII
Pronunciation	/ˈfɔːrnjoʊt/ Icelandic: [ˈfɔ(r)tnˌjouːt]
Named after	Fornjót
Alternative names	S/2004 S 8
Orbital characteristics ^[1]
Semi-major axis	25108000 km
Eccentricity	0.206
Orbital period	−1490.9 days
Inclination	170.4°
Satellite of	Saturn
Group	Norse group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	6+50% −30% km^[2]
Rotation period	(7 or 9.5) ± 0.4? h^[2]
Apparent magnitude	24.6

Fornjot /ˈfɔːrnjoʊt/ or Saturn XLII is the third outermost natural satellite of Saturn (after S/2004 S 34 and S/2004 S 26). Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on 4 May 2005 from observations taken between 12 December 2004, and 11 March 2005.

It is about 6 kilometres in diameter, and it orbits Saturn at an average distance of 23,609 Mm in 1354 d at an inclination of 168° to the ecliptic (160° to Saturn's equator) in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.186. It has an ambiguous rotation period of 7 or 9.5±0.4 hours.^[2]

Fornjot was named after Fornjót, a giant in Norse mythology.

References[]

^ S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Saturn, Carnegie Science, on line
^ ^a ^b ^c Denk, T.; Mottola, S. (2019). Cassini Observations of Saturn's Irregular Moons (PDF). 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Lunar and Planetary Institute.

Institute for Astronomy Saturn Satellite Data
Jewitt's New Satellites of Saturn page
IAUC 8523: New Satellites of Saturn^{[permanent dead link]} May 4, 2005 (discovery)
MPEC 2005-J13: Twelve New Satellites of Saturn May 3, 2005 (discovery and ephemeris)
IAUC 8826: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn^{[permanent dead link]} April 5, 2007 (naming the moon)

v t Saturn
Outline of Saturn
Geography	Dragon Storm Great White Spot Hexagon Magnetosphere Rings
Moons	S/2009 S 1 Ring moonlets Pan Daphnis Atlas Prometheus S/2004 S 6 S/2004 S 4 S/2004 S 3 Pandora Epimetheus Janus Aegaeon Mimas Methone Anthe Pallene Enceladus Tethys Telesto Calypso Dione Helene Polydeuces Rhea Titan Hyperion Iapetus S/2019 S 1 Kiviuq Ijiraq Phoebe Paaliaq Skathi S/2004 S 37 Albiorix S/2007 S 2 Saturn LX Bebhionn Erriapus Skoll S/2004 S 31 Siarnaq Tarqeq S/2004 S 13 Greip Hyrrokkin Jarnsaxa Tarvos Mundilfari S/2006 S 1 S/2004 S 17 Bergelmir Narvi Saturn LIV Suttungr Hati S/2004 S 12 Saturn LIX Farbauti Thrymr Saturn LXI Aegir S/2007 S 3 Bestla S/2004 S 7 Saturn LV Saturn LVI Saturn LVII Saturn LXII S/2006 S 3 Saturn LXVI Fenrir S/2004 S 28 Surtur Kari Saturn LXV Ymir S/2004 S 21 S/2004 S 24 Loge S/2004 S 36 S/2004 S 39 Saturn LXIII Saturn LXIV Fornjot Saturn LVIII
Astronomy	Delta Octantis Saturn-crossing minor planets
Exploration	Cassini–Huygens (Huygens) timeline retirement Pioneer 11 Voyager program Voyager 1 Voyager 2
Related	Fiction The Day the Earth Smiled In Saturn's Rings (2018 documentary)

v t Natural satellites of the Solar System
Planetary satellites of	Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Dwarf planet satellites of	Orcus Pluto Haumea Quaoar Makemake Gonggong Eris
Minor-planet moons	· Near-Earth: Florence Didymos (Dimorphos) Moshup (Squannit) 1994 CC 2001 SN₂₆₃ Main belt: Kalliope (Linus) Euphrosyne Daphne (Peneius) Eugenia (Petit-Prince) Sylvia (Romulus · Remus) Minerva (Aegis · Gorgoneion) Camilla Elektra Kleopatra (Alexhelios · Cleoselene) Ida (Dactyl) Roxane (Olympias) Pulcova Balam Jupiter trojans: Patroclus (Menoetius) Hektor (Skamandrios) Eurybates (Queta) TNOs: Lempo (Hiisi · Paha) 2002 UX₂₅ Sila–Nunam Salacia (Actaea) Varda (Ilmarë) Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà (Gǃòʼé ǃHú) 2013 FY₂₇
Ranked by size	Planetary-mass moon Ganymede largest: 5268 km / 0.413 Earths Titan Callisto Io Moon Europa Triton Titania Rhea Oberon Iapetus Charon Umbriel Ariel Dione Tethys Dysnomia Enceladus Miranda Vanth Proteus Mimas Ilmarë Nereid Hiʻiaka Actaea Hyperion ...
Discovery timeline Inner moons Irregular moons List Planetary-mass moons Naming Subsatellite Regular moons Trojan moons

v t Moons of Saturn
Listed in approximately increasing distance from Saturn as of epoch JD 2459200.5.
Ring shepherds	S/2009 S 1 Ring moonlets Pan Daphnis Atlas Prometheus Pandora
Co-orbitals	Epimetheus Janus
G Ring	Aegaeon
Alkyonides	Methone Anthe Pallene
Inner large (with trojans)	Mimas Enceladus Tethys Telesto Calypso Dione Helene Polydeuces
Outer large	Rhea Titan Hyperion Iapetus
Inuit group (8)	S/2019 S 1 Kiviuq Ijiraq Paaliaq Saturn LX S/2004 S 31 Tarqeq Siarnaq
Norse group (46)	Phoebe Skathi S/2004 S 37 S/2007 S 2 Skoll Hyrrokkin Greip Mundilfari S/2004 S 13 (?) S/2006 S 1 S/2007 S 3 (?) Suttungr Saturn LIV Jarnsaxa Narvi Bergelmir Hati S/2004 S 17 (?) S/2004 S 12 (?) Saturn LIX Farbauti Thrymr Bestla S/2004 S 7 (?) Aegir Saturn LXI Saturn LV Saturn LVII Saturn LXII Saturn LVI S/2006 S 3 Saturn LXV Kari S/2004 S 28 Loge Saturn LXVI Fenrir Ymir Surtur Saturn LXIII S/2004 S 21 S/2004 S 39 S/2004 S 36 Fornjot Saturn LXIV Saturn LVIII
Gallic group (4)	Albiorix Bebhionn Erriapus Tarvos
Prograde outer satellites	S/2004 S 24
Rings of Saturn Cassini–Huygens Themis Chiron S/2004 S 6 S/2004 S 4 S/2004 S 3 In fiction