Paaliaq (moon)

Irregular satellite
ref_discovery=Discovery Circumstances [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_discovery (JPL)] ]
name=Paaliaq - Saturn XX
discoverer=Brett J. Gladman et al.
discovery_date=in 2000
epoch=2000 Feb. 26.00
ref_orb_elems=Mean orbital parameters [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_elem from NASA JPL] ]
semimajor=15.200
eccentricity=0.3631
inclination=45.083
period=686.9 d (1.88 yr)
diameter=22 km [http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~sheppard/satellites/satsatdata.html Scott Sheppard pages] ]
albedo=0.04 "assumed"
color="red" B-V=0.86 R-V=0.40Grav, T.; and Bauer, J.; [http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0611590 "A deeper look at the colors of Saturnian irregular satellites"] ]
spectral_type=D

Paaliaq (pronEng|ˈpɑːliɑːk "PAH-lee-ahk)" is a prograde irregular satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by Brett J. Gladman, John J. Kavelaars, Jean-Marc Petit, Hans Scholl, Matthew J. Holman, Brian G. Marsden,
Philip D. Nicholson and Joseph A. Burns in early October 2000 [ [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/07500/07512.html IAUC 7512: "S/2000 S 1 and S/2000 S 2"] 2000 October 25 (discovery)] [ [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/mpec/K00/K00Y15.html MPEC 2000-Y15: "S/2000 S 1, S/2000 S 2, S/2000 S 7, S/2000 S 8, S/2000 S 9"] 2000 December 19 (discovery and ephemeris)] , and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 2. It was named in August 2003 after a fictional shaman in the book "The Curse of the Shaman," written by Michael Kusugak, who supplied Kavelaars with the names of giants from Inuit mythology that were used for other Saturnian moons.

Paaliaq is thought to be about 22 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 15.2 Gm in 687 days. It is a member of the Inuit group of irregular satellites. It also has a proximity with 9 other moons reaching up to ten miles from each.

Together with Kiviuq and Siarnaq, Paaliaq displays "light-red" colours and similar infrared spectrum, further supporting the thesis of a possible common origin of the Inuit group in the break-up of a larger bodyGladman, B. J.; Nicholson, P. D.; Burns, J. A.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Marsden, B. G.; Holman, M. J.; Grav, T.; Hergenrother, C. W.; Petit, J.-M.; Jacobson, R. A.; and Gray, W. J.; [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v412/n6843/abs/412163a0.html "Discovery of 12 satellites of Saturn exhibiting orbital clustering"] , Nature, 412 (2001 July 12), pp. 163–166] .

References

*Ephemeris [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/NatSats/NaturalSatellites.html IAU-MPC NSES]

External links

* [http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~jewitt/irregulars.html David Jewitt pages]
* [http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~sheppard/satellites/satsatdata.html Scott Sheppard pages]