Siarnaq (moon) facts for kids
Siarnaq is a moon that orbits the planet Saturn. It is also known as Saturn XXIX. Unlike Earth's moon, Siarnaq is not perfectly round; it has an irregular, non-spherical shape. Scientists discovered Siarnaq in 2000, and it was first called S/2000 S 3.
This moon got its name in August 2003. It is named after a giant from Inuit mythology called Siarnaq (also known as Sedna). Siarnaq is the largest moon in a special group of Saturn's moons called the Inuit group. These moons are all non-spherical.
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What is Siarnaq Like?
Siarnaq is thought to be about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) wide. It orbits Saturn at a very far distance, about 17,500,000 kilometers (about 10.9 million miles) away. It takes Siarnaq about 895 Earth days to complete one full trip around Saturn.
Siarnaq's Orbit Around Saturn
Siarnaq belongs to the "Inuit group" of moons. These moons orbit Saturn in the same direction that Saturn spins. This is called a "prograde" orbit. The diagram shows how Siarnaq's orbit compares to other similar moons around Saturn. The yellow parts on the diagram show how stretched out the orbits are.
How Siarnaq Formed
Siarnaq has a light-red color. Other moons in the Inuit group, like Paaliaq and Kiviuq, have very similar colors. Scientists believe this color similarity means that these moons might have all come from a single, larger body that broke apart a long time ago. This event would have created Siarnaq and its sister moons.
Images for kids
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Discovery images of Siarnaq taken by the CFHT in September 2000
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This plot shows the positions of 13 irregular moons of Saturn in 2001. Siarnaq (S/2000 S 3) is at the upper left.
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Siarnaq observed in the infrared by the WISE spacecraft in 2010
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Siarnaq as seen by the Cassini spacecraft from a distance of 22 million km (14 million mi)
See also
In Spanish: Siarnaq (satélite) para niños
