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The inclination and semi-major axis are represented on the Y and X-axis, respectively. The satellites with inclinations below 90° are prograde, those above 90° are retrograde. The X-axis is labeled in terms of Saturn's Hill radius. The Gallic group is a dynamical grouping of the prograde irregular satellites of Saturn following similar orbits.
S/2007 S 8 is about 4 kilometers in diameter, and orbits Saturn at a distance of 17.049 Gm in 836.90 days, at an inclination of 36.5, orbits in prograde direction and eccentricity of 0.490. [2] S/2007 S 8 belongs to the Gallic group. S/2007 S 8 is currently the least inclined irregular natural satellite of Saturn. [1]
In the Solar System, many of the asteroid-sized moons have retrograde orbits, whereas all the large moons except Triton (the largest of Neptune's moons) have prograde orbits. [13] The particles in Saturn's Phoebe ring are thought to have a retrograde orbit because they originate from the irregular moon Phoebe.
The new discovery increases the moons orbiting the "jewel of our solar system" to 82, surpassing Jupiter
The prograde satellites consist of the Himalia group and three others in groups of one. The retrograde moons are grouped into the Carme , Ananke and Pasiphae groups. Saturn has 146 moons with known orbits; 66 of them have received permanent designations, and 63 have been named.
The convention is that the normal orbit is prograde, an orbit in the same direction as the planet rotates. Inclinations greater than 90° describe retrograde orbits (backward). Thus: An inclination of 0° means the orbiting body has a prograde orbit in the planet's equatorial plane.
Two prograde moons of Saturn do not definitively belong to either the Inuit or Gallic groups. [1] S/2004 S 24 and S/2006 S 12 have similar orbital inclinations as the Gallic group, but have much more distant orbits with semi-major axes of ~400 Saturn radii and ~340 Saturn radii, respectively. [84] [13] [1]
At first, Skathi was given the temporary name "S/2000 S 8": the first "S" denotes that Skathi is a satellite (as opposed to, say, a planetary ring), "2000" specifies that it was discovered in the year 2000, the second "S" is assigned because it orbits the planet Saturn, and the number 8 means that it was the eighth such object discovered in ...