Skathi

Skathi (moon)

Skathi (/ˈskɑːði/), or Saturn XXVII, is a natural satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by Brett Gladman, Kavelaars and colleagues in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 8. Skathi is about 8 kilometers in diameter and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 15.576 Gm in 725.784 days, at an inclination of 149° to the ecliptic (150° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.246.

The name is given as Skadi by most sources. This is the name that was originally announced in 2003;  however, the IAU Working Group on Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) decided in early 2005 to use an alternative transliteration of the Norse spelling. The classical spelling is Skaði, with the letter Ð (eth), and the original form Skadi was a graphic approximation of that. Skathi may have been formed from debris knocked off Phoebe by large impacts at some point in the Solar System's history. Its name comes from Norse mythology, where Skaði is a giantess who is the wife of the Vanir god Niord.

The moon was physically surveyed during the Greater Solar System Survey Project (Phase IV) which included a detailed survey of all the smaller Saturn and Jupiter moons. (2115 - 2121) Thge moon was phyically assessed by a robotic probbe and claimed by the Phoebe Development Corp in 2122 OTT. The company placed a congress and meeting center there as well as a large hotel, that to this day remains a popular meeting place and business meeting hotel facility (Skathi Hotel and Conference Center) The rock itself is rather unremarkable, but as of 5015 OTT it can be reached via Matter Tunnel.