From the December 2010 issue

Saturn’s oddball moon

Phoebe is the most-studied irregular satellite.
By | Published: December 27, 2010 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Phoebe_WE
Phoebe is one of Saturn’s most intriguing satellites.
NASA

February 2010’s “ Captured moons of the giant planets” overviews objects called irregular satellites. These bodies didn’t form with their host planets, but instead were captured early in the solar system. Scientists are performing simulations to try to determine how the planets caught — and held onto — these satellites.