S/2004 S 12
Moon of Saturn
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S/2004 S 12 is a natural satellite 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 12 December 2004 and 9 March 2005.
Discoverydate12 December 2004
Observation arc15.61 yr (5,703 days)
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 12 December 2004 |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 9 August 2022 (JD 2459800.5) | |
| Observation arc | 15.61 yr (5,703 days) |
| 0.1327201 AU (19,855,000 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3711930 |
| –2.86 yr (–1044.50 d) | |
| 326.59167° | |
| 0° 20m 40.789s / day | |
| Inclination | 163.85743° (to ecliptic) |
| 330.73760° | |
| 111.13920° | |
| Satellite of | Saturn |
| Group | Norse group |
| Physical characteristics | |
| ≈5 km[3] | |
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed)[3] |
| 24.8[3] | |
| 15.9[2] | |
S/2004 S 12 is about 5 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 19,855,000 kilometres in about 1,044 days, at an inclination of 163.9° to the ecliptic, in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.371.[2][4]
This moon was considered lost[5] until its recovery was announced on 12 October 2022.[2] (In 2021, it had also been found in Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope observations from 2019.)[6]