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Moons of Saturn

The planet Saturn has 53 named moons, and another 29 which are still being studied.[1] Many of the moons are very small: 33 are less than 10 km (6 mi) in diameter and thirteen moons are less than 50 km (31 mi).[2] Many of the moons are named after Titans, Giants, or minor Greek or Roman gods. Some of Saturn's moons are very large; the moon Titan is bigger than the planet Mercury.

Confirmed moons

The moons of Saturn are listed here by orbital period (or semi-major axis), from shortest to longest. Moons massive enough for their surfaces to have collapsed into a spheroid are highlighted in bold, while the irregular moons are listed in red, orange and gray background.
Key
†
Major icy moons 		♠
Titan 		‡
Inuit group 		♦
Gallic group 		♣
Norse group

Very recently, there have been 20 new discoveries of moons on saturn that have not yet been named.

Order Label
[a]		 Name Pronunciation Image Diameter (km)[b] Mass
(×1015 kg) [c]		 Semi-major axis (km) [d] Orbital period (d)[d][e] Inclination [d][f] Eccentricity Position Discovery
year 		Discoverer
1 S/2009 S/2009 S 1 —   ≈ 0.3 < 0.0001 ≈ 117000 ≈ 0.47 ≈ 0° ≈ 0 outer B Ring 2009 Cassini
(moonlets) —   0.04 to 0.4 (Earhart) < 0.0001 ≈ 130000 ≈ 0.55 ≈ 0° ≈ 0 Three 1000 km bands within A Ring 2006 Cassini
2 XVIII Pan Pan /ˈpæn/   28.2±2.6
(34 × 31 × 20)		 4.95±0.75 133584 +0.57505 0.001° 0.000035 in Encke Division 1990 M. Showalter
3 XXXV Daphnis Daphnis /ˈdæfnɪs/   7.6±1.6
(9 × 8 × 6)		 0.084±0.012 136505 +0.59408 ≈ 0° ≈ 0 in Keeler Gap 2005 Cassini
4 XV Atlas Atlas /ˈætləs/   30.2±1.8
(41 × 35 × 19)		 6.6±0.045 137670 +0.60169 0.003° 0.0012 outer A Ring shepherd 1980 Voyager 2
5 XVI Prometheus Prometheus /proʊˈmiːθiəs/   86.2±5.4
(136 × 79 × 59)		 159.5±1.5 139380 +0.61299 0.008° 0.0022 inner F Ring shepherd 1980 Voyager 2
6 XVII Pandora Pandora /pænˈdɔːrə/   81.4±3.0
(104 × 81 × 64)		 137.1±1.9 141720 +0.62850 0.050° 0.0042 outer F Ring Shepherd 1980 Voyager 2
7a XI Epimetheus Epimetheus /ɛpɪˈmiːθiəs/   116.2±3.6
(130 × 114 × 106)		 526.6±0.6 151422 +0.69433 0.335° 0.0098 co-orbital with Janus 1977 J. Fountain, and S. Larson
7b X Janus Janus /ˈdʒeɪnəs/   179.0±2.8
(203 × 185 × 153)		 1897.5±0.6 151472 +0.69466 0.165° 0.0068 co-orbital with Epimetheus 1966 A. Dollfus
9 LIII Aegaeon Aegaeon /iːˈdʒiːən/   ≈ 0.5 ≈ 0.0001 167500 +0.80812 0.001° 0.0002 G Ring moonlet 2008 Cassini
10 I Mimas †Mimas /ˈmaɪməs/   396.4±0.8
(416 × 393 × 381)		 37493±31 185404 +0.942422 1.566° 0.0202   1789 W. Herschel
11 XXXII Methone Methone /mɪˈθoʊniː/   3.2±1.2 ≈ 0.02 194440 +1.00957 0.007° 0.0001 Alkyonides 2004 Cassini
12 XLIX Anthe Anthe /ˈænθiː/   1.8 ≈ 0.0015 197700 +1.05089 0.1° 0.0011 Alkyonides 2007 Cassini
13 XXXIII Pallene Pallene /pəˈliːniː/   5.0±1.2
(6 × 6 × 4)		 ≈ 0.05 212280 +1.15375 0.181° 0.0040 Alkyonides 2004 Cassini
14 II Enceladus †Enceladus /ɛnˈsɛlədəs/   504.2±0.4
(513 × 503 × 497)		 108022±101 237950 +1.370218 0.010° 0.0047 Generates the E ring 1789 W. Herschel
15 III Tethys †Tethys /ˈtiːθɪs/   1062±1.2
(1077 × 1057 × 1053)		 617449±132 294619 +1.887802 0.168° 0.0001   1684 G. Cassini
15a XIII Telesto Telesto /tɪˈlɛstoʊ/   24.8±0.8
(33 × 24 × 20)		 ≈ 9.41 294619 +1.887802 1.158° 0.000 leading Tethys trojan 1980 B. Smith, H. Reitsema, S. Larson, and J. Fountain
15b XIV Calypso Calypso /kəˈlɪpsoʊ/   21.4±1.4
(30 × 23 × 14)		 ≈ 6.3 294619 +1.887802 1.473° 0.000 trailing Tethys trojan 1980 D. Pascu, P. Seidelmann, W. Baum, and D. Currie
18 IV Dione †Dione /daɪˈoʊniː/   1122.8±0.8
(1128 × 1123 × 1119)		 1095452±168 377396 +2.736915 0.002° 0.0022   1684 G. Cassini
18a XII Helene Helene /ˈhɛlɪniː/   35.2±0.8
(43 × 38 × 26)		 ≈ 24.46 377396 +2.736915 0.212° 0.0022 leading Dione trojan 1980 P. Laques and J. Lecacheux
18b XXXIV Polydeuces Polydeuces /pɒliˈdjuːsiːz/   2.6±0.8
(3 × 2 × 1)		 ≈ 0.03 377396 +2.736915 0.177° 0.0192 trailing Dione trojan 2004 Cassini
21 V Rhea †Rhea /ˈriːə/   1527.0±1.2
(1530 × 1526 × 1525)		 2306518±353 527108 +4.518212 0.327° 0.001258   1672 G. Cassini
22 VI Titan ♠Titan /ˈtaɪtən/   5149.46±0.18
(5149 × 5149 × 5150)		 134520000±20000 1221930 +15.94542 0.3485° 0.0288   1655 C. Huygens
23 VII Hyperion †Hyperion /haɪˈpɪəriən/   270±8
(360 × 266 × 205)		 5620±50 1481010 +21.27661 0.568° 0.123006 in 4:3 resonance with Titan 1848 W. Bond
G. Bond
W. Lassell
24 VIII Iapetus †Iapetus /aɪˈæpɪtəs/   1468.6±5.6
(1491 × 1491 × 1424)		 1805635±375 3560820 +79.3215 15.47° 0.028613   1671 G. Cassini
25 XXIV Kiviuq ‡Kiviuq /ˈkɪviək/ ≈ 16 ≈ 2.79 11294800 +448.16 49.087° 0.3288 Inuit group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
26 XXII Ijiraq ‡Ijiraq /ˈiːɪrɒk/   ≈ 12 ≈ 1.18 11355316 +451.77 50.212° 0.3161 Inuit group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
27 IX Phoebe ♣†Phoebe /ˈfiːbiː/   213.0±1.4
(219 × 217 × 204)		 8292±10 12869700 −545.09 173.047° 0.156242 Norse group 1899 W. Pickering
28 XX Paaliaq ‡Paaliaq /ˈpɑːliɒk/   ≈ 22 ≈ 7.25 15103400 +692.98 46.151° 0.3631 Inuit group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
29 XXVII Skathi ♣Skathi /ˈskɒði/ ≈ 8 ≈ 0.35 15672500 −732.52 149.084° 0.246 Norse (Skathi) Group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
30 XXVI Albiorix ♦Albiorix /ˌælbiˈɒrɪks/ ≈ 32 ≈ 22.3 16266700 +774.58 38.042° 0.477 Gallic group 2000 M. Holman
31   S/2007A ♣S/2007 S 2 — ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 16560000 −792.96 176.68° 0.2418 Norse group 2007 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna, B. Marsden
32 XXXVII Bebhionn ♦Bebhionn /bɛˈviːn/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 17153520 +838.77 40.484° 0.333 Gallic group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
33 XXVIII Erriapus ♦Erriapus /ɛriˈæpəs/ ≈ 10 ≈ 0.68 17236900 +844.89 38.109° 0.4724 Gallic group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
34 XLVII Skoll ♣Skoll /ˈskɒl/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 17473800 −862.37 155.624° 0.418 Norse (Skathi) group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
35 XXIX Siarnaq ‡Siarnaq /ˈsiːɑːrnək/ ≈ 40 ≈ 43.5 17776600 +884.88 45.798° 0.24961 Inuit group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
36 LII Tarqeq ‡Tarqeq /ˈtɑːrkeɪk/ ≈ 7 ≈ 0.23 17910600 +894.86 49.904° 0.1081 Inuit group 2007 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
37   S/2004B ♣S/2004 S 13 — ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 18056300 −905.85 167.379° 0.261 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
38 LI Greip ♣Greip /ˈɡreɪp/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 18065700 −906.56 172.666° 0.3735 Norse group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
39 XLIV Hyrrokkin ♣Hyrrokkin /hɪˈrɒkɪn/ ≈ 8 ≈ 0.35 18168300 −914.29 153.272° 0.3604 Norse (Skathi) group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
40 L Jarnsaxa ♣Jarnsaxa /jɑːrnˈsæksə/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 18556900 −943.78 162.861° 0.1918 Norse group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
41 XXI Tarvos ♦Tarvos /ˈtɑːrvəs/ ≈ 15 ≈ 2.3 18562800 +944.23 34.679° 0.5305 Gallic group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
42 XXV Mundilfari ♣Mundilfari /mʊndəlˈværi/ ≈ 7 ≈ 0.23 18725800 −956.70 169.378° 0.198 Norse group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
43   S/2006 ♣S/2006 S 1 — ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 18930200 −972.41 154.232° 0.1303 Norse (Skathi) group 2006 S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
44   S/2004C ♣S/2004 S 17 — ≈ 4 ≈ 0.05 19099200 −985.45 166.881° 0.226 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
45 XXXVIII Bergelmir ♣Bergelmir /bɛərˈjɛlmɪər/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 19104000 −985.83 157.384° 0.152 Norse (Skathi) group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
46 XXXI Narvi ♣Narvi /ˈnɑːrvi/   ≈ 7 ≈ 0.23 19395200 −1008.45 137.292° 0.320 Norse (Narvi) group 2003 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
47 XXIII Suttungr ♣Suttungr /ˈsʊtʊŋɡər/ ≈ 7 ≈ 0.23 19579000 −1022.82 174.321° 0.131 Norse group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
48 XLIII Hati ♣Hati /ˈhɑːti/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 19709300 −1033.05 163.131° 0.291 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
49   S/2004A ♣S/2004 S 12 — ≈ 5 ≈ 0.09 19905900 −1048.54 164.042° 0.396 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
50 XL Farbauti ♣Farbauti /fɑːrˈbaʊti/ ≈ 5 ≈ 0.09 19984800 −1054.78 158.361° 0.209 Norse (Skathi) group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
51 XXX Thrymr ♣Thrymr /ˈθrɪmər/ ≈ 7 ≈ 0.23 20278100 −1078.09 174.524° 0.453 Norse group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
52 XXXVI Aegir ♣Aegir /ˈaɪ.ɪər/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 20482900 −1094.46 167.425° 0.237 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
53   S/2007B ♣S/2007 S 3 — ≈ 5 ≈ 0.09 20518500 ≈ −1100 177.22° 0.130 Norse group 2007 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
54 XXXIX Bestla ♣Bestla /ˈbɛstlə/ ≈ 7 ≈ 0.23 20570000 −1101.45 147.395° 0.5145 Norse (Narvi) group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
55   S/2007C ♣S/2004 S 7 — ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 20576700 −1101.99 165.596° 0.5299 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
56   S/2006 ♣S/2006 S 3 — ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 21076300 −1142.37 150.817° 0.4710 Norse (Skathi) group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
57 XLI Fenrir ♣Fenrir /ˈfɛnrɪər/ ≈ 4 ≈ 0.05 21930644 −1212.53 162.832° 0.131 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
58 XLVIII Surtur ♣Surtur /ˈsɜːrtər/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 22288916 −1242.36 166.918° 0.3680 Norse group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
59 XLV Kari ♣Kari /ˈkɑːri/ ≈ 7 ≈ 0.23 22321200 −1245.06 148.384° 0.3405 Norse (Skathi) group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
60 XIX Ymir ♣Ymir /ˈɪmɪər/ ≈ 18 ≈ 3.97 22429673 −1254.15 172.143° 0.3349 Norse group 2000 B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, et al.
61 XLVI Loge ♣Loge /ˈlɔɪ.eɪ/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 22984322 −1300.95 166.539° 0.1390 Norse group 2006 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna
62 XLII Fornjot ♣Fornjot /ˈfɔːrnjɒt/ ≈ 6 ≈ 0.15 24504879 −1432.16 167.886° 0.186 Norse group 2004 S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna

Unconfirmed moons

The following objects (observed by Cassini) have not been confirmed as solid bodies. It is not yet clear if these are real satellites or merely persistent clumps within the F Ring.

Name Image Diameter (km) Semi-major
axis (km) 		Orbital
period (d) 		Position Discovery year
S/2004 S 6   ≈ 3–5 ≈ 140130 +0.61801 uncertain objects around the F Ring 2004
S/2004 S 3/S 4[g]   ≈ 3–5 ≈ 140300 ≈ +0.619 2004

Hypothetical moons

Two moons were claimed to be discovered by different astronomers but never seen again. Both moons were said to orbit between Titan and Hyperion.

  • Chiron which was supposedly sighted by Hermann Goldschmidt in 1861, but never observed by anyone else.
  • Themis was allegedly discovered in 1905 by astronomer William Pickering, but never seen again. Nevertheless, it was included in numerous almanacs and astronomy books until the 1960s.

Moons Of Saturn Media

  • An annotated picture of Saturn's many moons captured by the Cassini spacecraft. Shown in the image are Dione, Enceladus, Epimetheus, Prometheus, Mimas, Rhea, Janus, Tethys and Titan.

  • Saturn (overexposed) and the moons Iapetus, Titan, Dione, Hyperion, and Rhea viewed through a 12.5-inch telescope

  • Five moons in a Cassini image: Rhea bisected in the far-right foreground, Mimas behind it, bright Enceladus above and beyond the rings, Pandora eclipsed by the F Ring, and Janus off to the left

  • Quadruple Saturn–moon transit captured by the Hubble Space Telescope

  • Possible beginning of a new moon of Saturn imaged on 15 April 2014

  • Shepherd moon Daphnis in the Keeler gap

  • Shepherd moons Atlas, Daphnis and Pan (enhanced color). They bear distinct equatorial ridges that appear to have formed from material accreted from Saturn's rings.

  • South pole map of tiger stripes on Enceladus

  • Diagram illustrating the orbits of the irregular satellites of Saturn (with Titan and Iapetus included for comparison). The inclination and semi-major axis are represented on the Y and X-axis, respectively.

  • Orbits and positions of Saturn's 122 irregular moons as of 25 February 2023. Prograde orbits are colored blue while retrograde orbits are colored red. Saturn's outermost regular moons, Titan, Hyperion, and Iapetus, are also shown with turquoise orbits.

References

  1. ↑ "Saturn: Moons". Solar System Exploration: Planets. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  2. ↑ "About Saturn & Its Moons". Cassini Solstice Mission. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-25.

Notes

  1. ↑ A confirmed moon is given a permanent designation by the IAU consisting of a name and a Roman numeral. The nine moons that were known before 1900 (of which Phoebe is the only irregular) are numbered in order of their distance from Saturn; the rest are numbered in the order by which they received their permanent designations. Nine small moons of the Norse group and S/2009 S 1 have not yet received a permanent designation.
  2. ↑ The diameters and dimensions of the inner moons from Pan through Janus, Methone, Pallene, Telepso, Calypso, Helene, Hyperion and Phoebe were taken from Thomas 2010, Table 3. Diameters and dimensions of Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea and Iapetus are from Thomas 2010, Table 1. The approximate sizes of other satellites are from the website of Scott Sheppard.
  3. ↑ Masses of the large moons were taken from Jacobson, 2006. Masses of Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Hyperion and Phoebe were taken from Thomas, 2010, Table 3. Masses of other small moons were calculated assuming a density of 1.3 g/cm3.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The orbital parameters were taken from Spitale, et al. 2006, IAU-MPC Natural Satellites Ephemeris Service, and NASA/NSSDC.
  5. ↑ Negative orbital periods indicate a retrograde orbit around Saturn (opposite to the planet's rotation).
  6. ↑ To Saturn's equator for the regular satellites, and to the ecliptic for the irregular satellites
  7. ↑ S/2004 S 4 was most likely a transient clump—it has not been recovered since the first sighting.
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