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S/2004 S 3 | b>S/2004 S 3 | | align="center" bgcolor="#000000" colspan="2" | S/2004 S 3, as imaged by Cassini-Huygens on June 21, 2004 (NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute) | | bgcolor="#a0ffa0" colspan="2" | Discovery | | align="left" | Discovered by | Carl Murray et al., 2004 / Cassini-Huygens | | align="left" | Discovered on | 21 June, 2004 | | bgcolor="#a0ffa0" colspan="2" | Orbital characteristics | | align="left" | Semimajor axis | ~141,000 km | | align="left" | Eccentricity | 0.0? | | align="left" | Orbital period | ~0.624 d | | align="left" | Inclination | 0°? | | align="left" | Is a satellite of | Saturn | | bgcolor="#a0ffa0" colspan="2" | Physical characteristics | | align="left" | Mean diameter | 4-5 km | | align="left" | Rotation period | probably synchronous | | align="left" | Axial tilt | 0° | | align="left" | Albedo | 0.6? | | align="left" | Atmosphere | none | S/2004 S 3 is the provisional designation of an unconfirmed moon of Saturn. It was discovered by Carolyn C. Porco and the Cassini Imaging Team in images taken by the Cassini-Huygens probe on June 21, 2004, and announced on September 9, 2004. The moon is believed to be 3-5 km in diameter and orbits just beyond Saturn's F Ring, inside the orbit of Pandora. It seems to be a shepherd satellite for the outer edge of Saturn's F ring. Scientists cannot yet definitively say if the object is a moon or a temporary clump of ring material. Another possible moon, S/2004 S 4, was sighted nearby shortly afterward, but this time inside the F Ring. Since it is not certain how a moon's orbit could cross a ring, scientists are currently assuming that they have discovered two separate objects, but the possibility that they have found a ring-crossing moon cannot yet be discounted. Reference
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