Discovery date 2004 Eccentricity 0.1363 Mean anomaly 146.614° Inclination 164.955° Orbits Saturn | Alternative names S/2004 S 16 Orbital period 1260.35 d (3.45 yr) Discovered 2004 Semimajor axis 22,454 m | |
Discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna Discoverers Scott S. Sheppard, Jan Kleyna, David C. Jewitt Discovery site Gemini Observatory, W. M. Keck Observatory Similar Saturn moons, Other celestial objects | ||
Fenrir (/ˈfɛnrɪər/ FEN-reer) or Saturn XLI (provisional designation S/2004 S 16) is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005, from observations taken between December 13, 2004, and March 5, 2005. Fenrir has an apparent magnitude of 25, making it one of the faintest known moons in the Solar System, and was discovered using some of the largest telescopes in the world. It is even too dark to be observed by the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn where it never gets brighter than ~17th magnitude. Fenrir was named after Fenrisulfr, a giant wolf from Norse mythology, father of Hati and Skoll, son of Loki, destined to break its bonds for Ragnarök.
Fenrir is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 22,454 Mm in 1260 days, at an inclination of 163° to the ecliptic (143° to Saturn's equator) with an eccentricity of 0.136. The Fenrian orbit is retrograde: it orbits Saturn in a direction opposite to the planet's spin, suggesting that this irregular moon was captured by Saturn.