There are 288 discovered natural satellites – or moons, as they are colloquially known – in the Solar system. Most of these are found in the outer gas giants. However, many of these have not received proper names as they were discovered recently and have yet to be confirmed. Only 164 moons have proper names.
Out of those, there are 12 moons whose names start with the letter S. These are all listed in the following table. Below you will also find some additional details about each, including physical characteristics, the original meaning of their names, etc.
| Name | Planet | Name meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sao | Neptune | One of the Nereids. Associated with “safety” and “rescue” at sea. |
| Setebos | Uranus | Named after a charcter in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest |
| Siarnaq | Saturn | Inuit goddess of the sea. Also kown as Sedna |
| Sinope | Jupiter | Daughter of Ares and one of the Amazons. It is believed the Turkish city of Sinop is named after her. |
| Skathi | Saturn | Also known as Skadi or Skaði. A goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and the mountains |
| Skoll | Saturn | Giant wolf from Norse mythology. Son of Fenrir |
| Skrymir | Saturn | Master of illusions and master of castle ruler of the castle Útgarðr in Norse mythology |
| Sponde | Jupiter | One of the Horae (goddesses of seasons and time periods) |
| Stephano | Uranus | Named after a charcter in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest |
| Surtur | Saturn | Also known as Surt. Leader of the fire fire Jötunn (giants) |
| Suttungr | Saturn | A Jötunn (giant) in Norse mythlogy |
| Sycorax | Uranus | Named after a charcter in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest |
Sao
Sao is one of Neptune’s irregular moons, discovered in 2002 by Matthew Holman and his team. Named after one of the Nereids from Greek mythology who was associated with safe passage at sea, Sao is a small moon only about 44 kilometers in diameter. It follows a distant, irregular orbit around Neptune and is likely a captured asteroid. Its surface is very dark, reflecting only 5% of the sunlight that hits it.
Setebos
Setebos is one of Uranus’s irregular moons, discovered in 1999 by John Kavelaars and colleagues. Named after the deity worshipped by Caliban’s mother Sycorax in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” this moon is approximately 48 kilometers across. It orbits Uranus in a retrograde direction, suggesting it was captured rather than forming alongside the planet. Its surface is very dark, reflecting only about 6% of incoming sunlight.
Siarnaq
Siarnaq is an irregular moon of Saturn discovered in 2000 by Brett Gladman and his team. Named after Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea and marine animals, this moon is about 40 kilometers in diameter. It belongs to the Inuit group of moons, all named after figures in Inuit mythology. Siarnaq follows a highly inclined, eccentric orbit, suggesting it was captured by Saturn’s gravity rather than forming in place.
Sinope
Sinope is one of Jupiter’s retrograde irregular moons, discovered in 1914 by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Lick Observatory. Named after an Amazon warrior who was a daughter of Ares, this moon is about 35 kilometers in diameter. Sinope is the outermost of Jupiter’s known moons and takes about two Earth years to complete one orbit. The Turkish city of Sinop is believed to be named after the same mythological figure.
Skathi
Skathi is an irregular moon of Saturn discovered in 2000 by the Gladman-Kavelaars team. Named after the Norse goddess of hunting and skiing, this small moon is only about 8 kilometers in diameter. It belongs to the Norse group of irregular satellites and orbits Saturn in a retrograde direction. The moon’s name is also spelled as Skadi or Skaði in Norse mythology.
Skoll
Skoll is a small irregular moon of Saturn, discovered in 2006 by Scott Sheppard and his team. Named after the giant wolf in Norse mythology who chases the sun across the sky, this moon is only about 6 kilometers in diameter. Like many of Saturn’s irregular moons, it follows a retrograde orbit and was likely captured by Saturn’s gravity rather than forming alongside the planet.
Skrymir
Skrymir is an irregular moon of Saturn discovered in 2006 by Scott Sheppard and colleagues. Named after a master of illusions in Norse mythology who ruled the castle of Útgarðr, this small moon is approximately 7 kilometers across. It belongs to the Norse group of Saturn’s irregular satellites and follows a retrograde orbit around the planet.
Sponde
Sponde is one of Jupiter’s moons, discovered in 2001 by Scott Sheppard and his team. Named after one of the Horae, the Greek goddesses who presided over portions of time and seasons, this small moon is only about 2 kilometers in diameter. It belongs to the Pasiphae group of irregular satellites and orbits Jupiter in a retrograde direction.
Stephano
Stephano is one of Uranus’s irregular moons, discovered in 1999 by Brett Gladman and colleagues. Named after the drunken butler character in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” this moon is approximately 32 kilometers across. It orbits Uranus in a retrograde direction and, like other irregular satellites, was likely captured by the planet’s gravity rather than forming alongside it.
Surtur
Surtur is an irregular moon of Saturn discovered in 2006 by Scott Sheppard and his team. Named after the leader of the fire giants (Jötunn) in Norse mythology who will lead the charge against the gods during Ragnarök, this small moon is about 6 kilometers in diameter. It belongs to the Norse group of irregular satellites and follows a retrograde orbit around Saturn.
Suttungr
Suttungr is one of Saturn’s irregular moons, discovered in 2000 by Brett Gladman and colleagues. Named after a giant from Norse mythology who once possessed the mead of poetry, this moon is approximately 7 kilometers across. It belongs to the Norse group of irregular satellites and follows a retrograde orbit around Saturn.
Sycorax
Sycorax is one of the largest irregular moons of Uranus, discovered in 1997 by Philip Nicholson and his team. Named after the witch and mother of Caliban in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” this moon is about 150 kilometers in diameter, making it one of Uranus’s largest irregular satellites. It follows a distant, retrograde orbit and has a very dark surface, reflecting only 4% of the sunlight that hits it.
Click on a letter below for a list of moons that begin with it.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Related:
For more on how moons are named check out this article.