Suttungr (moon) facts for kids
Suttungr, also known as Saturn XXIII, is one of the many moons that orbit the planet Saturn. Scientists discovered this moon in the year 2000. It was first given the temporary name S/2000 S 12.
About Suttungr
Suttungr is a small moon, only about 5.6 kilometres (about 3.5 miles) wide. It travels around Saturn very far away, at an average distance of 19,667,000 kilometres (about 12.2 million miles). It takes Suttungr a long time to complete one orbit around Saturn: about 1029.7 days, which is almost three years!
Suttungr's orbit is also quite tilted. Its path is at an angle of 174 degrees compared to the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the imaginary flat plane where most planets orbit the Sun.
How Suttungr May Have Formed
Scientists think that Suttungr might have formed from pieces of rock and ice that broke off from another moon of Saturn called Phoebe. This could have happened a very long time ago.
Naming Suttungr
This moon was officially named Suttungr in August 2003. Its name comes from Norse mythology. In these old stories, Suttung is a giant. This giant once owned a special drink called the mead of poetry. This mead was believed to give wisdom and poetic skill to anyone who drank it.
The name was first announced as "Suttung." However, the group of scientists who name things in space, called the IAU Working Group on Planetary System Nomenclature, later decided to add an "-r" to the end. This was to make the name match the correct form in Norse language.
