Ymir (moon) facts for kids
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Brett J. Gladman |
| Discovery site | Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur |
| Discovery date | 2000 |
| Designations | |
| S/2000 S1 | |
| Adjectives | Ymirian |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 23,040,000 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3349 |
| 3.6 yr (1315.14 d) | |
| 244.521° | |
| Inclination | 173.125° |
| 194.086° | |
| 22.668° | |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 18 km |
| Mass | 5.1×1015 kg |
| 8.7 m/s (31 km/h) | |
| Albedo | 0.06 |
| 21.7 | |
Ymir (pronounced IM-eer), also known as Saturn XIX, is one of the many moons that orbit the planet Saturn. Scientists found this moon in the year 2000. It was first called S/2000 S 1.
Ymir got its official name in August 2003. Its name comes from Norse mythology. In these old stories, Ymir is a giant who is the ancestor of all the frost giants.
Contents
Discovering Ymir: Saturn's Distant Moon
A team of astronomers led by Brett J. Gladman found Ymir in 2000. They used powerful telescopes to spot this small, faint object orbiting Saturn. Finding new moons helps us learn more about our solar system.
Ymir's Journey Around Saturn
Ymir is a small moon, only about 16 kilometers (10 miles) wide. It travels very far from Saturn. On average, it is about 23,175,000 kilometers (14.4 million miles) away.
It takes Ymir a long time to complete one trip around Saturn. This journey lasts about 1317 days, which is more than three and a half Earth years! Ymir's path around Saturn is also quite tilted. It orbits at an angle of 172 degrees compared to the ecliptic, which is the plane where most planets orbit the Sun.
Ymir's orbit is also not a perfect circle. It has an eccentricity of 0.358. This means its path is more like an oval, so its distance from Saturn changes as it orbits.
Images for kids
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Ymir imaged by the CFHT on 23 September 2000
See also
- Ymir (the giant from Norse mythology)
- In Spanish: Ymir (satélite) para niños
