Space · Moons
Ymir
A moon of Saturn — Namesake of the Norse-group retrograde outer irregulars of Saturn.
Quick facts
Parent planet
Diameter (mean)
18 km
Mass
3.97 × 10¹⁵ kg
5.4e-08 Moon masses
Mean orbital radius
23,040,000 km
Orbital period
1315.4 Earth days
Discovery year
2000
Discoverer
Brett J. Gladman et al.
Naming origin
Primordial Norse giant
Surface conditions
Ymir is a small retrograde outer irregular moon, namesake of Saturn's Norse group of outer satellites — moons orbiting Saturn backward at extreme inclinations and named for Norse mythology.
Missions and observations
Every Saturn-system mission has had an opportunity to image or characterize Ymir. The list below is the Saturn-system mission catalog; specific Ymir 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
Ymir was the primordial frost giant of Norse mythology, from whose body the world was formed after Odin and his brothers slew him. 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.