Discovered 23 September 2000 | Orbits Saturn | |
Discoverers John J. Kavelaars, Brett J. Gladman Similar John J Kavelaars discoveries, Saturn moons, Other celestial objects | ||
Skathi (/ˈskɑːði/ SKAH-dhee), or Saturn XXVII, is a natural satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by Brett Gladman, Kavelaars and colleagues in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 8. Skathi is about 8 kilometres in diameter and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 15.576 Gm in 725.784 days, at an inclination of 149° to the ecliptic (150° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.246.
The name is given as Skadi by most sources. This is the name that was originally announced in 2003; however, the IAU Working Group on Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) decided in early 2005 to use an alternative transliteration of the Norse spelling. The classical spelling is Skaði, with the letter Ð (eth), and the original form Skadi was a graphic approximation of that.
Skathi may have been formed from debris knocked off Phoebe by large impacts at some point in the Solar System's history.
Its name comes from Norse mythology, where Skaði is a giantess who is the wife of the Vanir god Niord.