What did William H. Pickering name the tenth moon of Saturn?
Q: What did William H. Pickering name the tenth moon of Saturn?
A: Pickering named the moon Themis.
Q: How long did Pickering think it took Themis to orbit Saturn?
A: Pickering thought that it took Themis 20.85 days to orbit Saturn, in a prograde motion.
Q: What was the diameter of Themis according to Pickering?
A: Pickering thought that the diameter of Themis was about 38 miles (61 km).
Q: How do astronomers know what the actual diameter of Themis would be if it existed?
A: Because astronomers know how Pickering made his mistake with Phoebe's diameter, they can say that if Themis existed, it would have a diameter of 200 km.
Q: Who else claimed to discover a new satellite between Titan and Hyperion around this time?
A: In April 1861, Hermann Goldschmidt also thought he discovered a new satellite of Saturn between Titan and Hyperion. Goldschmidt called this moon Chiron.
Q: When was Janus discovered and confirmed as an official moon of Saturn?
A: Janus was discovered in 1966 and confirmed in 1980 as an official moon of Saturn.
Q: Is there an asteroid named after Themis?
A: Yes, there is an asteroid named 24 Themis.
