Anthe /ˈænθiː/ is a very small natural satellite of Saturn lying between the orbits of Mimas and Enceladus. It is also known as Saturn XLIX; its provisional designation was S/2007 S 4. It is named after one of the Alkyonides; the name means flowery. It is the sixtieth confirmed moon of Saturn.[5]
The designation S/2007 S 4 was also accidentally and incorrectly used for a different Saturnian satellite discovered later. The published discovery was retracted a few hours later and republished the next day under the correct name of S/2007 S 5.
It was discovered by the Cassini Imaging Team[1] in images taken on 30 May 2007.[2] Once the discovery was made, a search of older Cassini images revealed it in observations from as far back as June 2004. It was first announced on 18 July 2007.[2]
Anthe is visibly affected by a perturbing 10:11 mean-longitude resonance with the much larger Mimas. This causes its osculating orbital elements to vary with an amplitude of about 20 km in semi-major axis on a timescale of about 2 Earth years. The close proximity to the orbits of Pallene and Methone suggests that these moons may form a dynamical family.
Material blasted off Anthe by micrometeoroid impacts is thought to be the source of the Anthe Ring Arc, a faint partial ring about Saturn co-orbital with the moon first detected in June 2007.[6][7]
References
- Notes
- Citations
- Sources
- "Cassini Imaging Science Team". Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerationS. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- Agle, D. C. (July 19, 2007). "Saturn Turns 60". Cassini Solstice Mission. JPL/NASA. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- Green, Daniel W. E. (July 18, 2007). "S/ 2007 S 4". IAU Circular. 8857. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- Hedman, M. M.; Murray, C. D.; Cooper, N. J.; Tiscareno, M. S.; Beurle, K.; Evans, M. W.; Burns, J. A. (2008-11-25). "Three tenuous rings/arcs for three tiny moons". Icarus. 199 (2): 378–386. Bibcode:2009Icar..199..378H. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.11.001. ISSN 0019-1035.
- Porco C. C.; et al. (2008-09-05). "More Ring Arcs for Saturn". Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations. Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
External links
Media related to Anthe at Wikimedia Commons
- From Dark Obscurity... A Tiny New Saturnian Moon Comes To Light Archived 2011-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Moons | |
| Astronomy | |
| Exploration | |
| Related | |
