Ersa (moon)
Ersa /ˈɜːrsə/, also Jupiter LXXI, originally known as S/2018 J 1, is an outer natural satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and his team in 2018, and was announced on July 17, 2018, via a Minor Planet Electronic Circular from the Minor Planet Center.[2] It is about 3 kilometres (2 mi) in diameter and has an orbit radius of around 11,483,000 kilometres (7,135,000 miles); its orbital inclination is about 30.61°.[3] It belongs to the Himalia group.
Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
Discovery date | 2018 |
Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter LXXI |
Pronunciation | /ˈɜːrsə/ |
Named after | Ἔρσα Ersa |
S/2018 J 1 | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
11483000 km | |
Eccentricity | 0.094 |
+252.0 days | |
356.6° | |
Inclination | 30.61° |
93.3° | |
346.7° | |
Satellite of | Jupiter |
Group | Himalia group |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 3 km |
22.9 | |
Name
The moon was named in 2019 after Ersa, the Greek goddess of dew, daughter of Zeus and Selene: Jupiter L Herse is also named for this goddess.[4] The name was suggested in a naming contest held by the Carnegie Institute on Twitter where more than 20 tweets suggested that name, most significantly by users Aaron Quah (@8603103) who submitted the name first, StSauveur_MoonsProject (@StSauMoons) who are the 12th grade students of Saint Sauveur High School in Redon, France, the fifth grade at Hillside Traditional Academy in British Columbia, Canada (submitted on their behalf by @mrgrouchypants), and a 4-year-old child named Walter who sang a song about Ersa (submitted on his behalf by @Thoreson).[5][6]
References
- S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Jupiter, Carnegie Science, on line
- "MPEC 2018-O18 : S/2018 J 1". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- Sheppard, Scott S. "JupiterMoons". carnegiescience.edu. sites.google.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Planets
- "Naming Contest for Newly-discovered Moons of Jupiter". www.iau.org. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- "Public Contest Successfully Finds Names For Jupiter's New Moons". www.iau.org. Retrieved 27 August 2019.