Albiorix (moon)

Albiorix is a moon that orbits the planet Saturn. It is known officially as Saturn XXVI. This moon is the largest member of a group called the Gallic group and is the third-largest irregular moon of Saturn. Irregular moons like Albiorix have unusual paths around their planets and often come from places far away in space. Studying moons such as Albiorix helps scientists learn more about how solar systems form and change over time.

Discovery and Naming

Albiorix was discovered by Holman and colleagues in 2000 and was given the temporary name S/2000 S 11. In August 2003, it was named after Albiorix, a Gallic giant who was thought to be the king of the world. This name comes from an old writing found near the town of Sablet in France, linking him to the Roman god Mars. It is still not known if Albiorix was just a title meaning "Mars, king of the world," or if he was a real Celtic god connected to Mars.

Orbit

Albiorix orbits Saturn at an average distance of 16 million kilometers, completing its journey in 783.5 days. It travels in a prograde direction, meaning it moves in the same direction as Saturn's rotation, at an inclination of about 39° to the ecliptic. The orbit's shape, known as eccentricity, is 0.470.

Albiorix is part of the Gallic group, a collection of moons that orbit Saturn between 16 and 23 million kilometers away. These moons have inclinations between 34 and 41° and eccentricities ranging from 0.07 to 0.56.

Physical characteristics

Albiorix is a big moon that orbits Saturn. It is red in color, and some parts of it are less red than others. Scientists think it might have a large crater, and that two other moons could be pieces of Albiorix from an old crash.

The James Webb Space Telescope studied Albiorix and found certain minerals on its surface, but did not find much water ice. It also found carbon dioxide, which forms when certain materials are exposed to radiation. Albiorix looks very similar to another moon of Saturn called Siarnaq.

Albiorix takes about 13 hours and 8 minutes to spin once. Its shape is not round, which we can tell because its brightness changes a lot as it turns.

Origin

Albiorix likely did not form close to Saturn. Instead, it was probably captured by Saturn at a later time. Albiorix, like other members of the Gallic group that share similar paths around Saturn, is thought to be the leftover piece of an asteroid that was broken apart and captured by Saturn.

Exploration

Albiorix was seen by the Cassini spacecraft from 2005 to 2017. During this time, scientists measured how it shines and found out how long it takes to spin once.