Tarqeq.space

Irregular moon of Saturn (prograde) · Outer Saturnian system · Inuit group

Tarqeq

Saturn LII · S/2007 S 1

A slow-spinning six-kilometre moon named after the Inuit moon god — and maybe a chip off Siarnaq.

Key factsBinocular picker
Tarqeq at a glance
Object typeIrregular, prograde moon of Saturn[1]
GroupInuit group[1]
DiscoveredJan. 16, 2007, Subaru Telescope, Mauna Kea[2]
Announced13 April 2007 by Sheppard, Jewitt, Kleyna and Marsden[1]
Named afterTarqeq, the Inuit moon god[1]
Diameter≈ 6 km[1]
Rotation period≈ 76.13 hours — the slowest measured by Cassini[1]
Mean distance≈ 17.8 million km from Saturn[3]
Orbital period≈ 883 days[3]
Inclination≈ 49° (prograde)[3]
Eccentricity≈ 0.14[3]

An Inuit-group moon

Tarqeq is a natural satellite of Saturn about 6 km across, named after the Inuit moon god. It belongs to the Inuit group of irregular moons.[1] Unlike most distant moons, it orbits in the same direction as Saturn spins.[2]

A slow spinner

Cassini observed Tarqeq over 1.5 days on 15–16 January 2014. It is the slowest-rotating irregular moon Cassini measured, with a period of about 76.13 hours and a roughly ellipsoidal shape.[1]

A Titan connection?

Tarqeq’s rotation is very close to a 1:5 resonance with Titan’s orbital period, suggesting gravitational interactions might lock it in a mean-motion resonance.[1]

A piece of Siarnaq?

Tarqeq has a very similar inclination and semi-major axis to Siarnaq, suggesting it is a fragment of that larger moon.[1] Siarnaq is the second-largest irregular moon of Saturn.[5]

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Orbit

Tarqeq orbits between about 15.2 and 20.3 million km from Saturn, once every 883 days, tilted about 49°.[3]

Saturn Titan (1.22 million km)Phoebe (12.93 million km) farthest ≈ 20.3 million km closest ≈ 15.2 million km
Top-down orbit of Tarqeq to scale, computed from JPL orbital elements (a ≈ 17.75 million km, e ≈ 0.144).[3] Titan and Phoebe orbits shown for comparison.[3] Mean orbital elements; the real orbit is tilted steeply and shifts over time, so this top-down view flattens it onto one plane.

See Saturn yourself

Tarqeq is far too faint for amateurs, but Saturn is easy to find. Our binocular picker suggests a good starter pair.

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Saturn’s Inuit group

The prograde family of distant moons that Tarqeq belongs to.

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Tarqeq’s 76-hour day

How Cassini measured the slowest spin of any irregular moon it observed.

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Found by an 8-metre giant

How the Subaru Telescope spotted Tarqeq.

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Sources

  1. Tarqeq — Wikipedia
  2. Tarqeq — NASA Science
  3. Planetary Satellite Mean Elements — NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
  4. Inuit group — Wikipedia
  5. Siarnaq — Wikipedia
  6. Subaru Telescope — Wikipedia
  7. Light curve — Wikipedia

Figures are rounded; where sources differ we note it. Spotted an error? Tell us.