Kiviuq is about 17 km in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 11.3 million kilometers in 449 days. It is a member of the Inuit group of irregular satellites. It is light red, and the Kiviupian (Kiviuqan)[a]infrared spectrum is very similar to the Inuit-group satellites Siarnaq and Paaliaq, supporting the thesis of a possible common origin of the Inuit group in the break-up of a larger body.[7][13]
Kiviuq is believed to be in Kozai resonance, cyclically reducing its orbital inclination while increasing the eccentricity and vice versa.[14] Its current orbital elements overlap strongly with Phoebe's orbit, and the moons will likely eventually collide with each other.[8]
The light curveamplitude of Kiviuq is large, varying in brightness by over 2 magnitudes. The large amplitude of Kiviuq suggests that it has an elongated shape, and may be a possible contact binary.[4]
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