Kari (moon)

Lore & Background

Kari's discovery was announced on 26 June 2006 by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden, based on observations taken between January and April 2006. It is about 6 kilometres in diameter and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 22,305,100 km in 1243.71 days, with a retrograde direction and an eccentricity of 0.3405. Its inclination is 148.4° to the ecliptic and 151.5° to Saturn's equator.

The rotation period has been determined to be 7.7±0.14 hours. Its light curve is similar to Hyrrokkin's, featuring two deep and one shallow minima, and the moon is probably triangular in shape. Kari is the largest member of an eponymous collisional sub-family of retrograde moons, which is generally tightly packed with an inclination range of 151.7–157°. It was named in April 2007 after Kári, son of Fornjót, the personification of wind in Norse mythology.

Reader's Guide

Kari's significance lies in its role as the largest member of a collisional sub-family of retrograde moons, indicating a past fragmentation event among Saturn's irregular satellites. The family's tightly packed orbital elements, with inclinations ranging from 151.7° to 157°, suggest a common origin. Its light curve, similar to Hyrrokkin's, with two deep and one shallow minima, and its probably triangular shape, provide clues about its physical structure. The rotation period of 7.7±0.14 hours adds to the understanding of its spin state. Named after a Norse mythological figure, Kari contributes to the naming tradition of Saturn's moons. Its discovery in 2006 by a team of astronomers using observations from early that year expanded the known population of Saturn's irregular satellites.