Jarnsaxa (moon) facts for kids
Jarnsaxa, also known as Saturn L, is one of the many moons that orbit the planet Saturn. It is a small, icy world that is part of a group of moons known as the Norse group.
How Jarnsaxa Was Discovered
Jarnsaxa was found by a team of astronomers: Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden. They announced its discovery on June 26, 2006. The team used images taken between January 5 and April 29, 2006, to spot this tiny moon. When it was first found, it was given the temporary name S/2006 S 6.
Facts About Jarnsaxa
Jarnsaxa is quite small, only about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) across. It travels around Saturn at an average distance of about 18,556,900 kilometres (11,530,700 mi). It takes Jarnsaxa a long time to complete one orbit around Saturn, about 943.784 days, which is more than two and a half Earth years!
Its orbit is tilted quite a bit. This tilt, called its inclination, is about 162.9 degrees compared to the ecliptic (the path the Sun seems to take across the sky). It is also tilted about 164.1 degrees compared to Saturn's equator. Jarnsaxa's orbit is also not a perfect circle; it is a bit stretched out, which astronomers call having an eccentricity of 0.1918.
What's in a Name?
Jarnsaxa is named after Járnsaxa, a powerful giantess from Norse mythology. Many of Saturn's moons are named after figures from Norse myths.
