S/2006 S 18

S/2006 S 18

Discovery
Discovered by	Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, Brett J. Gladman, Edward Ashton
Discovery date	2006
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis	22,760,700 km (14,142,800 mi)[1]
Eccentricity	0.089
Orbital period (sidereal)	-3.555 yrs (1,298.40 d)[1]
Inclination	169.5° (to the ecliptic)
Satellite of	Saturn
Group	Norse group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	4 km
Absolute magnitude (H)	16.1

S/2006 S 18 is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, Edward Ashton, Brett J. Gladman, Jean-Marc Petit and Mike Alexandersen on May 15, 2023 from observations taken between December 14, 2004 and July 9, 2021.^[2]

S/2006 S 18 is about 4 kilometers in diameter, and orbits Saturn at a distance of 23.256 Gm in 1,324.09 days, at an inclination of 171.6, orbits in retrograde direction and eccentricity of 0.089.^[2] S/2006 S 18 belongs to the Norse group and its orbit is quite circular due to of its low eccentricity unlike the other irregular moons.^[3]

References

1. "Planetary Satellite Mean Elements". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
2. "MPEC 2023-J170 : S/2006 S 18". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
3. "S/2006 S 18". Tilmann's Web Site. Tilmann Denk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.