Farbauti, or Saturn XL (provisional designation S/2004 S 9) 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. A natural satellite is an object that orbits a planet or other body larger than itself and which is not man-made. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... Scott S. Sheppard is an astronomer based at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. ... David C. Jewitt is a Professor of astronomy at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. ... Jan Kleyna is a postdoctoral astronomy researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. ... Brian G. Marsden is an astronomer, the longtime director of the Minor Planet Center. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (69th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Farbauti is about 5 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 20,291 Mm in 1079.099 days, at an inclination of 158° to the ecliptic (139° to Saturn's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.209. Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction. ... The plane of the ecliptic is well seen in this picture from the 1994 lunar prospecting Clementine spacecraft. ... This article is about retrograde motion. ... In astrodynamics, under standard assumptions any orbit must be of conic section shape. ...