Lysithea (moon)

Lysithea /lˈsɪθiə/ is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson in 1938 at Mount Wilson Observatory[1] and is named after the mythological Lysithea, daughter of Oceanus and one of Zeus' lovers.[9]

Lysithea
Discovery
Discovered byS. B. Nicholson
Discovery dateJuly 6, 1938[1]
Designations
Designation
Jupiter
Pronunciation/lˈsɪθiə/[2][3]
Named after
Λυσιθέα Lysithea
AdjectivesLysithean /lˈsɪθiən/[4]
Orbital characteristics[5]
11717000 km
Eccentricity0.112
+259.2 days
329.1°
Inclination28.30°
5.5°
49.5°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupHimalia group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
42.2±0.7 km[6]
Mass6.3×1016 kg
Mean density
2.6 g/cm3 (assumed)[7]
12.78±0.10 h[8]
Albedo0.036±0.006[6]
Temperature~124 K
18.2

    Lysithea did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter X. It was sometimes called "Demeter"[10] from 1955 to 1975.

    It belongs to the Himalia group, five moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 28.3°.[11] Its orbital elements are as of January 2000. They are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

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

    See also

    References

    1. Nicholson, S. B. (October 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. "Lysithea". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House.
    3. Cf. also 'Lysithous' in Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
    4. Yenne (1987) The Atlas of the Solar System.
    5. S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Jupiter, Carnegie Science, on line
    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). Retrieved December 12, 2008.
    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. Marsden, Brian G. (October 7, 1975). "Satellites of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union.
    10. Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia; Katherine Haramundanis (1970). Introduction to Astronomy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-478107-4.
    11. 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.
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