Discovery date 21 Jul 2006 Semi-major axis 5619 ± 87 km | Adjectives Actaean Eccentricity 0,0084 ± 0,0076 | |
Discovered by Keith S. Noll, Harold F. Levison, Denise C. Stephen, William M. Grundy Alternative names S/2006 (120347) 1,
Salacia I | ||
Actaea, officially (120347) Salacia I Actaea, is the single known natural satellite of the classical Kuiper belt object 120347 Salacia. Its diameter is estimated 300 km, which is ⅓ of the diameter of Salacia; thus, Salacia and Actaea are viewed by some to be a binary object. Actaea is about the sixth-biggest known moon of a Kuiper belt object, after Charon (1212 km), Dysnomia (685 km), Vanth (378 km), Ilmarë (361 km) and Hiiaka (320 km).
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Discovery and name
It was discovered on 21 July 2006 by Keith S. Noll, Harold Levison, Denise Stephens and Will Grundy with the Hubble Space Telescope. On 18 February 2011, it was officially named Actaea after the nereid Aktaia.
Orbit
Actaea orbits its primary every 7005474664320000000♠5.49380±0.00016 d at a distance of 7006561900000000000♠5619±87 km and with an eccentricity of 6997840000000000000♠0.0084±0.0076. The ratio of its semi-major axis to its primary's Hill radius is 0.0023, the tightest trans-Neptunian binary with a known orbit.
Physical characteristics
Actaea is 7000237200000000000♠2.372±0.060 magnitudes fainter than Salacia, implying a diameter ratio of 2.98 for equal albedos. Hence, assuming equal albedos, it has a diameter of 7005303000000000000♠303±35 km Actaea has the same color as Salacia (V−I = 6999890000000000000♠0.89±0.02 and 6999870000000000000♠0.87±0.01, respectively), supporting the assumption of equal albedos. It has been calculated that the Salacia system should have undergone enough tidal evolution to circularize their orbits, which is consistent with the low measured eccentricity, but that the primary need not have been tidally locked. The low density calculated for the system (1,16 g/cm3)implies that both Salacia and Actaea consist chiefly of water ice. Salacia and Actaea will next occult each other in 2067. The mass of the system is 4,66 ± 0,22 × 1020 kg, with about 4% of this being in Actaea.