Loge (moon) facts for kids
Loge, also known as Saturn XLVI, is a small moon that orbits the planet Saturn. Before it got its official name, scientists called it S/2006 S 5.
Scientists Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden discovered Loge. They announced their discovery on June 26, 2006. They found Loge by looking at pictures taken between January and April of the same year.
What is Loge Like?
Loge is a small moon, only about 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) wide. That's roughly the size of a small town!
Loge's Orbit Around Saturn
Loge orbits Saturn quite far away. Its average distance from Saturn is about 23,142,000 kilometers (about 14.3 million miles). It takes Loge a very long time to complete one trip around Saturn: 1314.364 days, which is more than 3.5 Earth years!
Loge's orbit is also a bit tilted. This tilt is called its inclination. Loge's orbit is tilted by 166.5 degrees compared to the ecliptic (the path the Sun seems to take across the sky). It's tilted 165.3 degrees compared to Saturn's equator. This means it orbits Saturn almost backward compared to most of Saturn's moons.
The shape of Loge's orbit is not a perfect circle. It's a bit stretched out, like an oval. Scientists call this its eccentricity. Loge's eccentricity is 0.1390, which means its orbit is slightly oval-shaped.
How Did Loge Get Its Name?
Loge was officially named in April 2007. It is named after Loge (sometimes spelled Logi), a fire giant from Norse mythology. In these old stories, Loge is the son of Fornjót. He is sometimes confused with the trickster god Loki.
See also
In Spanish: Loge (satélite) para niños
