S/2009 S 1

S/2009 S 1 is a moonlet embedded in the outer part of Saturn's B Ring, orbiting 117,000 km (73,000 mi) away from the planet. The moonlet was discovered by the Cassini Imaging Team during the Saturnian equinox event on 26 July 2009, when the Cassini spacecraft imaged the moonlet casting a 36 km (22 mi)-long shadow onto the B Ring. With a diameter of 300 m (1,000 ft), it is most likely a long-lived solid body, which would count it as the smallest and innermost known moon of Saturn.

S/2009 S 1
Cassini image of S/2009 S 1 as a bright dot casting a long shadow over Saturn's B Ring
Discovery
Discovered byCassini Imaging Team
Discovery date2009
Orbital characteristics
116914 km
Eccentricity0.000
0.4715 d (11.32 h)
Inclination0.0
Satellite ofSaturn
Groupouter B ring moonlet
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
0.3 km
assumed synchronous
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