- Daphnis (moon)
-
Daphnis 
Daphnis in cropped Cassini probe image (July 06, 2010).DiscoveryDiscovered by Cassini Imaging Science Team Discovery date May 6, 2005 DesignationsAdjective Daphnidian Mean orbit radius 136,505.5±0.1 km Eccentricity 0.0000331 ± 0.0000062 Orbital period 0.5940798 days (14.257915 hours) Inclination 0.0036° ± 0.0013° Satellite of Saturn Physical characteristicsDimensions 8.6 × 8.2 × 6.4 km[2] Mean radius 3.8 ± 0.8 km[2] Mass 7.7 ± 1.5 ×1013 kg[2] Mean density 0.34 ± 0.26 g/cm³[2] Equatorial surface gravity 0.0001–0.0004 m/s2[2] Rotation period synchronous Axial tilt unknown Albedo ≈ 0.5 Temperature ~78 K Daphnis (
/ˈdæfnɨs/ daf-nis; Greek: Δαφνίς) is an inner satellite of Saturn. It is also known as Saturn XXXV; its provisional designation was S/2005 S 1.[3][4] Daphnis is about 8 kilometres in diameter, and orbits the planet in the Keeler Gap within the A ring.Contents
Naming
The moon was named in 2006 after Daphnis, a shepherd, pipes player, and pastoral poet in Greek mythology;[5] he was descendant of the Titans, after whom the largest moons of Saturn are named. Both Daphnis and Pan, the only other known shepherd moon to orbit within Saturn's main rings, are named for mythological figures associated with shepherds.
The waves that Daphnis induces nearby in the A ring have vertical relief (due to its orbital inclination) and cast shadows when Saturn is close to its equinox.
Daphnis was resolved into a disc for the first time in this 2005 Cassini probe image[6]Discovery
Before it was photographed, the existence of a moon in Daphnis's position had already been inferred from gravitational ripples observed on the outer edge of the Keeler gap. The waves made by the moon in the inner edge of the gap precede it in orbit, while those on the outer edge lag behind it, due to the differences in relative orbital speed.
Daphnis was discovered by the Cassini Imaging Science Team on May 6, 2005.[3] The discovery images were taken by the Cassini probe over 16 min on May 1, 2005, from a time-lapse sequence of 0.180 second narrow-angle-camera exposures of the outer edge of the A ring. The moon was subsequently found in 32 low-phase images taken of the F ring on April 13, 2005 (spanning 18 min) and again in two high-resolution (3.54 km/pixel) low-phase images taken on May 2, 2005, when its 7 km disk was resolved.
Orbit
The inclination and eccentricity of Daphnis's orbit are very small, but distinguishable from zero. Daphnis' eccentricity causes its distance from Saturn to vary by ~9 km, and its inclination causes it to move up and down by ~17 km. The Keeler Gap, within which Daphnis orbits, is about 42 km wide.
References
- ^ Jacobson, R. A.; Spitale, J. et al. (2008). "Revised orbits of Saturn's small inner satellites". Astronomical Journal 135 (1): 261–263. Bibcode 2008AJ....135..261J. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/135/1/261. http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1538-3881/135/1/261/aj_135_1_261.html.
- ^ a b c d e Thomas, P. C. (2010). "Sizes, shapes, and derived properties of the saturnian satellites after the Cassini nominal mission". Icarus 208: 395–401. Bibcode 2010Icar..208..395T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.01.025. http://www.ciclops.org/media/sp/2011/6794_16344_0.pdf.
- ^ a b C.C. Porco, et al., IAUC 8524: S/2005 S 1 May 6, 2005 (discovery)
- ^ Martinez, C.; and Dyches, P.; Cassini-Huygens: Cassini Finds New Saturn Moon That Makes Waves May 10, 2005
- ^ IAUC 8730: Saturn XXXV (Daphnis) (naming the moon)
- ^ NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, "Wavemaker Moon" (2005-05-10)
External links
Listen to this article (info/dl)
This audio file was created from a revision of Daphnis (moon) dated 2010-01-16, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)More spoken articles- Discovery images of Daphnis at the CICLOPS web site (includes a movie of the moon's ripple effect)
- Rody P.S. Oldenhuis; Jochgem C.T. Gunnemann (2005-12-21). "Estimating the Density of Saturn's Moon Daphnis via its Shepherding Effect on Nearby Rings". Earth and Planetary Observation letters 1. http://oldenhuis.info/Reports&Articles/Daphnis/daphnis.PDF. Retrieved 2010-07-08
- Photos of Daphnis from the CICLOPS web site
Moons of Saturn Generally listed in increasing distance from Saturn. Temporary names in italics. Ring shepherds - S/2009 S 1
- Propeller moonlets
- Pan
- Daphnis
- Atlas
- Prometheus
- ?(S/2004 S 6
- S/2004 S 4
- S/2004 S 3)
- Pandora
Co-orbitals G Ring - Aegaeon
Inner large
(with Trojans)Alkyonides Outer large Inuit group Norse group Gallic group Categories:
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
