Jarnsaxa (moon)

Jarnsaxa (/jɑːrnˈsæksə/ yarn-SAKS), also known as Saturn L (provisional designation S/2006 S 6), is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006, from observations taken between January 5 and April 29, 2006.

Jarnsaxa is about 6 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 18,556.9 Mm in 943.784 days, at an inclination of 162.9° to the ecliptic (164.1° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.1918. It is a member of the Norse group of irregular satellites.

It is named after Járnsaxa, a giantess in Norse mythology.

References

Jarnsaxa was named by Alisha Toporski (aged 8 years at the time), daughter of a colleague of Scott Sheppard.

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