Bestla (moon)

Bestla /ˈbɛstlə/ or Saturn XXXIX is a retrograde irregular moon of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on 4 May 2005, from observations taken between 13 December 2004 and 5 March 2005.

Bestla
Discovery
Discovery date2004
Designations
Designation
Saturn XXXIX
Pronunciation/ˈbɛstlə/
S/2004 S 18
Orbital characteristics[1]
20129000 km
Eccentricity0.521
−1083.6 days
Inclination145.2°
Satellite ofSaturn
GroupNorse group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
7+50%
−30%
 km
[2]
14.6238±0.0001 h[2]
23.8

    Description

    Bestla is about 7 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 20,192,000 km in 1088 days, at an inclination of 147° to the ecliptic (151° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.5145.[3] Early observations from 2005 suggested that Bestla had a very high eccentricity of 0.77.[4] Like many of the outer irregular moons of the giant planets, Bestla's eccentricity may vary as a result of the Kozai mechanism. Besta's rotation period is 14.6238±0.0001 hours.[2]

    Name

    This moon was named in April 2007 after Bestla, a frost giantess from Norse mythology, who is a mother of Odin.

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    References

    1. S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Saturn, Carnegie Science, on line
    2. Denk, T.; Mottola, S. (2019). Cassini Observations of Saturn's Irregular Moons (PDF). 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Lunar and Planetary Institute.
    3. Jacobson, R.A. (2007-06-28). "Planetary Satellite Mean Orbital Parameters". JPL/NASA. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
    4. Brian G. Marsden (2005-05-03). "MPEC 2005-J13 : Twelve New Satellites of Saturn". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2008-01-19.


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