S/2007 S 2 facts for kids

S/2007 S 2 is a small, unnamed moon that orbits the giant planet Saturn. It's one of many moons that circle Saturn. Scientists first found this moon in 2007.

Discovering S/2007 S 2

This moon was found by a team of scientists: Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden. They announced their discovery on May 1, 2007. They had been watching the sky between January and April of that year.

The team used a very powerful telescope called the Subaru 8.3-meter telescope. This telescope is located at Mauna Kea, a mountain in Hawaii. It helps scientists see very far into space.

What S/2007 S 2 Is Like

How Big Is This Moon?

Scientists believe S/2007 S 2 is about 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) wide. Imagine a small town; this moon is roughly that size! Its average radius is thought to be about 1.9 miles. This calculation assumes its surface is not very reflective, with an albedo (how much light it reflects) of 0.04.

Its Journey Around Saturn

S/2007 S 2 travels around Saturn in a path that is not a perfect circle. This is called an eccentricity of about 0.218. Its orbit is also tilted quite a bit, by about 176.68 degrees, compared to Saturn's equator.

The moon orbits at an average distance of about 16.56 million kilometers (about 10.4 million miles) from Saturn. It takes about 808 Earth days for S/2007 S 2 to complete one full trip around Saturn. This is called its orbital period.

How It Became a Moon

Scientists think S/2007 S 2 is an "irregular moon." This means it was probably not formed at the same time as Saturn. Instead, it was likely a space rock that got too close to Saturn. Saturn's strong gravity then pulled it in and captured it. This is different from Saturn's "regular" moons, which are thought to have formed from a disk of dust and gas around the young planet.