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Encyclopedia > Saturn > Outer satellites II
OTHER SMALL OUTER SATELLITE OF SATURN
The first satellite of this type were discovered by B. Gladman at ESO in Chile and CFHT in Hawaii in 2000. 20 new satellites, suspected in 2004, were admitted in 2019 as satellites thanks to observations by the Subaru telescope at Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
It has been discovered since 2000, many new satellites orbiting far from Saturn between 11 and 23 millions km from Saturn. They were only discovered recently because of their very low brightness. Some of these satellites have retrograde motion (inclination between 134 and 175°) as Phoebe, while others have a direct motion (inclination between 33 and 46°). Their eccentricities (variables) are between 0.1 and 0.6 (but S/2004 S18 Bestla S-39 has an eccentricity of up to 0.8) and their revolution periods between one and four years.
for more information on the orbital parameters: numbers about the solar system
These satellites have a size of 5 to 50 km and a magnitude from 22 to 24. They are, as Phoebe, particularly dark. They are probably asteroids of class C (carbon) captured by Saturn.