Carme (moon)

Carme /ˈkɑːrmiː/ is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in California in July 1938.[1] It is named after the mythological Carme, mother by Zeus of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess.

Carme

Discovery
Discovered by	S. B. Nicholson
Discovery date	July 30, 1938[1]
Designations
Pronunciation	/ˈkɑːrmiː/[2][3]
Named after	Κάρμη Karmē
Adjectives	Carmean /kɑːrˈmiːən/[4]
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis	23404000 km[5]
Eccentricity	0.253[5]
Orbital period	−702.28 d (1.9228 a)[5]
Average orbital speed	2.253 km/s
Inclination	164.91° (to the ecliptic) 167.53° (to Jupiter's equator)[5]
Satellite of	Jupiter
Group	Carme group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	46.7±0.9 km[6]
Mean density	2.6 g/cm^3 (assumed)[7]
Rotation period	10.40±0.05 h[8]
Albedo	0.035±0.006[6]
Temperature	~124 K

History

Carme observed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft in 2014

Carme did not receive its present name until 1975;[9] before then, it was simply known as Jupiter XI. It was sometimes called "Pan"[10] between 1955 and 1975 (Pan is now the name of a satellite of Saturn).

It gives its name to the Carme group, made up of irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at a distance ranging between 23 and 24 Gm and at an inclination of about 165°. Its orbital elements are as of January 2000.[5] They are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

See also

• Irregular satellites
• Jupiter's moons in fiction

References

1. Nicholson, S. B. (1938). "Two New Satellites of Jupiter". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 50: 292–293. Bibcode:1938PASP...50..292N. doi:10.1086/124963.
2. Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
3. "Carme". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House.
4. Yenne (1987) The Atlas of the Solar System
5. Jacobson, R. A. (2000). "The Orbits of Outer Jovian Satellites" (PDF). Astronomical Journal. 120 (5): 2679–2686. Bibcode:2000AJ....120.2679J. doi:10.1086/316817.
6. Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, J. R.; Nugent, C. R.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (August 2015). "NEOWISE: Observations of the Irregular Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn". The Astrophysical Journal. 809 (1): 9. Bibcode:2015ApJ...809....3G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/1/3. 3.
7. "Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters". JPL (Solar System Dynamics). 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
8. Luu, Jane (September 1991). "CCD photometry and spectroscopy of the outer Jovian satellites". Astronomical Journal. 102: 1213–1225. Bibcode:1991AJ....102.1213L. doi:10.1086/115949. ISSN 0004-6256.
9. IAUC 2846: Satellites of Jupiter 1974 October 7 (naming the moon)
10. Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia; Katherine Haramundanis (1970). Introduction to Astronomy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-478107-4.

External links

• Carme Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• David Jewitt pages
• Jupiter's Known Satellites (by Scott S. Sheppard)