Quick facts
Parent planet
Diameter (mean)
16 km
Mass
2.8 × 10¹⁵ kg
3.8e-08 Moon masses
Mean orbital radius
11,365,000 km
Orbital period
449.2 Earth days
Discovery year
2000
Discoverer
Brett J. Gladman et al.
Naming origin
Inuit mythological hero
Surface conditions
Kiviuq is a small Inuit-group prograde irregular moon found in the 2000 outer-moon surveys.
Missions and observations
Every Saturn-system mission has had an opportunity to image or characterize Kiviuq. The list below is the Saturn-system mission catalog; specific Kiviuq encounters are documented in mission archives.
| Mission | Year at Saturn | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Pioneer 11 NASA |
1979 | Completed |
|
Voyager 1 NASA |
1980 | Completed |
|
Voyager 2 NASA |
1981 | Completed |
|
Cassini-Huygens NASA/ESA/ASI |
2004 | Completed |
|
Dragonfly NASA |
2034 | On the way |
Naming etymology
Kiviuq is a heroic figure in Inuit mythology — a shaman and wanderer whose adventures are recounted across many Inuit communities. Adopted by the IAU in 2003.
Methodology & sources
Diameter, mass, and orbital parameters from JPL Solar System Dynamics — Physical Parameters. Discovery year and discoverer from the JPL Satellite Discovery Circumstances. Naming etymology from the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature. Stylized SVG hero composed from NASA / JPL imagery as visual reference; no photographs are reproduced.