Kari is a moon of Saturn, part of the Solar System in the universe. Saturn is a planet associated with the Sun, our star, and this space encyclopedia describes the moon’s identity and place in its planetary system.

Kari — A natural satellite of Saturn. Its physical properties and orbital motion are shown from the available catalogue and ephemeris data.

No object-specific chemical/elemental dataset has been verified and imported for this record. This does not mean none is publicly available. Appearance may be imagined; chemistry is not.

Discovery and designation
Kari was discovered in 2006. JPL credits S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, J. Kleyna. Its provisional designation is S/2006 S2. The name and discovery entry identify this particular satellite of Saturn; similarly named asteroids are separate objects.

Kari was discovered on March 6, 2006 by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt and Jan T. Kleyna, based on data obtained with the Subaru 8.3-m reflector telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, during the months of January to April, 2006.

Kari has a mean radius of 1.9 miles (3 kilometers), assuming an albedo (a measure of how reflective the surface is) of 0.04. It orbits Saturn at an inclination of about 156 degrees and an eccentricity of about 0.5. At a mean distance of 13.7 million miles (22.1 million kilometers) from Saturn, the moon takes about 1,231 Earth days to complete one orbit. Its rotation period is 7 hours and 42 minutes.

Kari is a member of the Norse group of moons. These "irregular" moons have retrograde orbits around Saturn -- traveling around in the opposite direction from the planet's rotation. Kari and the other Norse moons also have eccentric orbits, meaning they are more elongated than circular.

Like Saturn's other irregular moons, Kari is thought to be an object that was captured by Saturn's gravity, rather than having accreted from the dusty disk that surrounded the newly formed planet as the regular moons are thought to have done. Kari appears to be a member of a subgroup that also includes Skathi, Skoll, Hyrrokkin, S/2006 S1, Farbauti, Bergelmir, and S/2006 S3.

Originally called S/2006 S2, Kari was named for a wind giant in Norse mythology.