Key facts
- Discovered by
- Cassini Imaging Science Team
- Discovery date
- 21 October 2004, (date of discovery images)
- Designation
- Saturn XXXIV
- Pronunciation
- / ˌ p ɒ l ɪ ˈ dj uː s iː z /
- Named after
- Πολυδεύκης Polydeykēs
- Alternative names
- S/2004 S 5
- Adjectives
- Polydeucean / ˌ p ɒ l ɪ dj uː ˈ s iː ə n / , Polydeucian / ˌ p ɒ l ɪ ˈ dj uː s i ə n /
- Earliest precovery date
- 2 April 2004
- Semi major axis
- 377 600 km
- Orbital period sidereal
- 2.736 916 d
- Average orbital speed
- 10.03 km/s
- Inclination
- 0.2 °
- Satellite of
- Saturn
- Dimensions
- 3.50 × 3.10 × 2.62 km, (± 0.40 × 0.40 × 0.40 km)
- Mean diameter
- 3.06 ± 0.40 km
- Volume
- 15 km
- Mass
- ≈ 8 × 10 kg (assumed; unmeasured)
- Mean density
- ≈ 0.5 g/cm (assumed; unmeasured)
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
Polydeuces /ˌpɒlɪˈdjuːsiːz/, also designated Saturn XXXIV, is a small trojan moon of Saturn occupying the trailing L5 Lagrange point of Dione. It was discovered by the Cassini Imaging Science Team in images taken by the Cassini space probe on 21 October 2004. With a mean diameter of about 3 km (1.9 mi), Polydeuces is thought to have a smooth surface coated with fine, icy particles accumulated from the cryovolcanic plumes of Enceladus. In its orbit around Saturn, Polydeuces periodically drifts away from Dione's Lagrange point due to gravitational perturbations by other nearby moons of Saturn. Of the four known trojan moons of Saturn, Polydeuces exhibits the largest displacement from its Lagrange point.
Discovery