S/2007 S 3 is a provisional designation assigned to a natural satellite of Saturn that was discovered in 2007. The designation follows the International Astronomical Union (IAU) naming convention for newly identified planetary satellites, where “S” denotes Saturn, the year of discovery follows the slash, and the final number indicates the sequential order of discovery within that year.
Discovery
- Date: 2007
- Discovering team: The Cassini Imaging Science Team, using images taken by the Cassini spacecraft.
- Method: Identification of the object in photographic data obtained during close‑up observations of the Saturn system.
Physical and orbital characteristics
- Status: At the time of the latest published encyclopedic sources, the satellite had not yet been assigned a permanent name and was referenced primarily by its provisional designation.
- Estimated size: Roughly a few kilometres in diameter, typical of the small, irregular moons discovered by Cassini in the outer regions of Saturn’s satellite system.
- Orbit: A distant, eccentric, and inclined orbit around Saturn, consistent with other small, irregular moons. Specific orbital elements (semi‑major axis, inclination, eccentricity, orbital period) have not been widely published in general‑interest encyclopedias.
Naming
- Provisional designations such as S/2007 S 3 are eventually replaced by formal names drawn from mythological figures associated with Saturn (the Roman god) once the object's orbit is sufficiently well determined. As of the most recent readily accessible encyclopedic entries, no permanent name had been announced for S/2007 S 3.
Context within Saturn’s satellite system
- The discovery of S/2007 S 3 adds to the growing inventory of Saturn’s small, irregular moons, which are thought to be captured objects or fragments from collisional events. These bodies are often grouped into dynamical families based on similarities in their orbital parameters.
Research status
- Detailed studies of S/2007 S 3’s composition, surface properties, and precise orbital dynamics remain limited to specialist publications and mission data archives. General reference works provide only the basic identification and discovery information given above.
