Gridr (Saturn LIV), originally known as S/2004 S 20, is a

natural satellite A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another natural satellite). Natural satellites are often colloquially referred to as ''moons'' ...

of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by

Scott S. Sheppard Scott Sander Sheppard (born 1977) is an American astronomer and a discoverer of numerous moons, comets and minor planets in the outer Solar System. He is an astronomer in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Scie ...

David C. Jewitt David Clifford Jewitt (born 1958) is a British-American astronomer who studies the Solar System, especially its minor bodies. He is based at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is a Member of the Institute for Geophysics and Pl ...

, and

Jan Kleyna Jan T. Kleyna is a postdoctoral astronomy researcher at the University of Hawai'i A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities t ...

on October 7, 2019 from observations taken between December 12, 2004 and March 22, 2007. It was given its permanent designation in June 2021. On 24 August 2022, it was officially named after

Gríðr Gríðr (Old Norse: ; or Gríd) is a jötunn in Norse mythology. She is the mother of Víðarr the silent and the consort of Odin. Saturn's moon Gridr was named after her. Name The poetic Old Norse name ''Gríðr'' has been translated as "v ...

, a

jötunn A (also jotun; in the normalised scholarly spelling of Old Norse, ; ; plural / ) or, in Old English, (plural ) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, they are often contrasted with gods ( Æsir and Vani ...

in Norse mythology. She is the mother of

Víðarr In Norse mythology, Víðarr (Old Norse: , possibly "wide ruler",Orchard (1997:174—175). sometimes anglicized as Vidar , Vithar, Vidarr, and Vitharr) is a god among the Æsir associated with vengeance. Víðarr is described as the son of Odin ...

the silent and the consort of Odin. She warned

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

about the treachery of

Geirröðr Geirröðr (also Geirröd) is a jötunn in Norse mythology. He is the father of the Gjálp and Greip, who are killed by the thunder-god Thor. Geirröðr is mentioned in the skaldic poem '' Þórsdrápa'', written by Eilíf Godrúnarson (l ...

and equipped him with her belt of strength, her iron glove, and her staff ''Gríðarvöl'' (Gríðr's-staff). Gridr is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 19.418 Gm in 1010.55 days, at an inclination of 163° to the ecliptic, in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.197.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gridr (Moon) Norse group Irregular satellites Moons of Saturn Discoveries by Scott S. Sheppard Astronomical objects discovered in 2019 Moons with a retrograde orbit