Albiorix (moon)

Albiorix
Composite image of Albiorix from 2010 observations by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft
Discovery[1]
Discovered byM. J. Holman et al.
Discovery date19 December 2000
Designations
Designation
Saturn XXVI
Pronunciation/ˌælbiˈɒrɪks/
Named after
Mars Albiorix
S/2000 S 11
AdjectivesAlbiorigian /ˌælbiəˈrɪdʒiən/[2]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 2000 January 1.5
16329100 km
Eccentricity0.470
783.5 d
(2.15 yr)
Inclination38.9°
Satellite ofSaturn
GroupGallic group
Physical characteristics
28.6±5.4 km[4]
13.33±0.03 h[5]
Albedo0.062±0.028[4]
Spectral type
D[6]
20.5[5]
11.35±0.05[4]

Albiorix, /ˌælbiˈɒrɪks/ also known as Saturn XXVI, is the largest member of the Gallic group and Saturn's third-largest irregular moon.

Discovery and Naming

Albiorix was discovered by Holman and colleagues in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 11.[7][8][9]

It was named in August 2003[10] for Albiorix, "a Gallic giant who was considered to be the king of the world."[11] The name is known from an inscription found near the French town of Sablet which connects him with the Roman god Mars.[12] It is still unclear if Albiorix was just an honorific suffix (lit. "Mars, king of the world") or a Celtic deity interpretatio with Mars.[13]

Orbit

The diagram illustrates the orbit from albiorix in relation to other prograde irregular satellites of Saturn. The eccentricity of the orbits is represented by the yellow segments extending from the pericentre to the apocentre.

Albiorix orbits Saturn at an average distance of 16 million kilometers in 783,5 days, at an inclination of about 39° to the ecliptic, in a prograde direction. eccentricity amounts to of 0.470. Its orbit is continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

Albiorix belongs to the Gallic group, a prograde group of moons orbiting between 16 and 23 Gm from Saturn at an inclinations between 34 and 41°, and eccentricities between 0.07 and 0.56.

Physical characteristics

Albiorix observed by WISE in 2010

Measurements from NEOWISE constrain the albedo of Albiorix at 0.062±0.028, in which case its diameter is a rather large 28.6±5.4 km.[5]

Albiorix is red in color (B−V=0.89, R−V=0.50,[6] but some parts of its surface are less red than others. Varying colours suggest a possibility of a large crater, leading to an alternative hypothesis that Erriapus and Tarvos could be fragments of Albiorix following a near-break-up collision with another body.[14]

The James Webb Space Telescope took the spectrum of Albiorix with NIRSpec, detecting a 3.0 micron absorption feature associated with hydrated minerals, though water ice was not found to be present in substantial quantities. Additionally, carbon dioxide formed by irradiation of organic compounds was detected on Albiorix's surface. Albiorix appears nearly identical in its composition to Siarnaq, another Saturnian irregular satellite observed by James Webb Space Telescope.[15]

The rotation period was measured by the ISS camera of the Cassini spacecraft to 13 hours and 7,8 minutes.[5]

The Albiorix lightcurves show a large brightness variation, indicative of a rather elongated shape of this moon.[5] While one light curve measured by Cassini–Huygens found two minima with a moderate perturbation in one of them, a different angle showed a sharp minimum and two shallower ones.

Origin

Albiorix probably did not form near Saturn but was captured by Saturn later. Like the other members of the Gallic group, which have similar orbits, Albiorix is probably the remnant of a broken, captured heliocentric asteroid.

Exploration

Albiorix was observed by the Cassini spacecraft between 2005 and 2017, during which time its light curve was measured and its rotation period determined.[5]

References

  1. ^ Discovery Circumstances (JPL)
  2. ^ Albiorigi in Guy Barruol (1967) "Mars NABELCVS et Mars ALBIORIX," Ogam: tradition celtique, vol. 15, p. 358
  3. ^ "Planetary Satellite Mean Elements". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov.
  4. ^ a b c Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, J. R.; Nugent, C. R.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (August 2015). "NEOWISE: Observations of the Irregular Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 809 (1): 9. Bibcode:2015ApJ...809....3G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/1/3. S2CID 5834661. 3.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Denk, Tilmann; Mottola, Stefano; Tosi, Frederico; Bottke, William F.; Hamilton, Douglas P. (2018). "The Irregular Satellites of Saturn" (PDF). In Schenk, P.M.; Clark, R.N.; Howett, C.J.A.; Verbiscer, A.J.; Waite, J.H. (eds.). Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn. Space Science Series. Vol. 322. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. pp. 409–434. Bibcode:2018eims.book..409D. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816537075-ch020. ISBN 9780816537075.
  6. ^ a b Grav, T.; Holman, M. J.; Gladman, B. J.; Aksnes, K.; Photometric survey of the irregular satellites, Icarus, 166 (2003), pp. 33–45
  7. ^ "IAUC 7545: 2000fm; 2000fe; S/2000 S 11". www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu. 19 December 2000.
  8. ^ "MPEC 2000-Y13 : S/2000 S 11". minorplanetcenter.net. 19 December 2000.
  9. ^ Gladman, Brett; Kavelaars, J. J.; Holman, Matthew; Nicholson, Philip D.; Burns, Joseph A.; Hergenrother, Carl W.; Petit, Jean-Marc; Marsden, Brian G.; Jacobson, Robert; Gray, William; Grav, Tommy (2001-07-12). "Discovery of 12 satellites of Saturn exhibiting orbital clustering". Nature. 412 (6843): 163–166. Bibcode:2001Natur.412..163G. doi:10.1038/35084032. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 11449267.
  10. ^ "IAUC 8177: Sats OF (22); Sats OF JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS". www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu. 8 August 2003.
  11. ^ "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  12. ^ Maier, Bernhard (1997). Dictionary of Celtic religion and culture. p. 11.
  13. ^ Webster, Jane (1995). "'Interpretatio': Roman Word Power and the Celtic Gods". Britannia. 26: 153–161. doi:10.2307/526874. JSTOR 526874. S2CID 161751665.
  14. ^ Grav, T.; and Bauer, J.; A deeper look at the colors of Saturnian irregular satellites
  15. ^ Belyakov, Matthew; Brown, Michael E. (2025-04-01). "Saturnian Irregular Satellites as a Probe of Kuiper Belt Surface Evolution". The Planetary Science Journal. 6 (4): 97. arXiv:2503.20046. Bibcode:2025PSJ.....6...97B. doi:10.3847/PSJ/adc55d. ISSN 2632-3338.
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