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S/2019 S 18 is ∼2¾ kilometers in size and thus among the smallest Irregular moons of Saturn. Its discovery has been announced in May 2023 joint with sixty-one other outer Saturnian moons. Its mean distance to Saturn is ∼23½ million kilometers, with one revolution around the planet on a retrograde orbit requiring 3 years, 8 months and 2 weeks. The unusually high tilt of the orbit (inclination ∼ 148°) is similar to Bestla and Narvi, but it is doubtful these two moons are collisionally related to S/2019 S 18 because the distances to Saturn are very different.
This object has not been named yet. We made no attempt to observe it with Cassini because it was unknown at the time Cassini was active. Note that the orbital elements in the MPEC announcement are current values, not mean elements (time-averaged over a few thousand years) as given for the pre-2023 announced objects.
Last update: 23 May 2023 — page content is best displayed on a screen at least 1024 pixels wide
© Tilmann Denk (2023)