Bergelmir (moon)

Bergelmir or Saturn XXXVIII (provisional designation S/2004 S 15) is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005, from observations taken between December 12, 2004, and March 9, 2005.

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Bergelmir

Bergelmir imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in September 2014
Discovery
Discovered by	S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, J. Kleyna, and B. Marsden
Discovery date	May 4, 2005
Designations
Designation	Saturn XXXVIII
Pronunciation	/ˈbɛərjɛlmɪər/ or /ˈbɜːrɡəlmɪər/[a]
Named after	Bergelmir
Alternative names	S/2004 S 15
Adjectives	Bergelmian[b]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Semi-major axis	19338000 km
Eccentricity	0.142
Orbital period (sidereal)	1006.659 d[2]
Inclination	158.5°
Satellite of	Saturn
Group	Norse group
Physical characteristics[2][3]
Mean diameter	5+50% −30% km
Synodic rotation period	8.13±0.09 h
Albedo	0.06 (assumed)
Spectral type	B–R = 1.10 ± 0.15[4]
Apparent magnitude	24.2
Absolute magnitude (H)	15.2

Close

Bergelmir is about 6 kilometers (4 miles) in diameter,^[3] and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 19,338,000 km in 1006.659 days, at an inclination of 157° to the ecliptic (134° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.152. Its rotation period is 8.13±0.09 hours.^[2]

It was named in April 2007 after Bergelmir, a giant from Norse mythology and the grandson of Ymir, the primordial giant. Bergelmir and his wife alone among their kind were the only survivors of the enormous deluge of blood from Ymir's wounds when he was killed by Odin and his brothers at the dawn of time. Bergelmir then became the progenitor of a new race of giants.