Fornjot (moon) facts for kids
Fornjot, also known as Saturn XLII, is one of the many small moons that orbit the giant planet Saturn. It was first spotted by astronomers in 2004. Fornjot is a very distant and tiny moon, making it a fascinating part of Saturn's large family of satellites. Its official name, Fornjot, comes from ancient Norse stories.
Discovering Fornjot
Fornjot was discovered by a team of astronomers. These scientists were Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden. They first saw the moon in images taken between December 12, 2004, and March 11, 2005. The discovery was officially announced to the world on May 4, 2005. Before it got its name, Fornjot was known by a temporary name: S/2004 S 8.
Fornjot's Orbit and Size
Fornjot is a small moon, only about 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) across. That's roughly the size of a small town! It travels very far from Saturn, orbiting at an average distance of about 24,505,000 kilometers (about 15.2 million miles). This makes Fornjot the farthest known moon from Saturn.
It takes Fornjot a very long time to complete one trip around Saturn. One orbit lasts about 1432 days, which is almost four years! Fornjot's path around Saturn is also a bit tilted and not perfectly circular. Its orbit is tilted by 168 degrees compared to the ecliptic, which is the plane where most planets orbit the Sun. It also has an eccentricity of 0.186, meaning its orbit is somewhat oval-shaped.
How Fornjot Got Its Name
Fornjot received its official name in April 2007. Like many of Saturn's moons, it was named after a character from Norse mythology. Fornjot is a storm giant in these old stories. He is known as the father of other important figures like Ægir, who is the god of the sea, Kári, who represents the wind, and Loge, who represents fire.
