S/2003 J 2
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | University of Hawaiʻi team led by Scott S. Sheppard and David C. Jewitt |
| Discovery date | March 4, 2003 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4074 |
| 981.55 d (2.687 Earth years) | |
Average orbital speed | 2.19 km/s (calculated) |
| Inclination |
154° (to the ecliptic) 152° (to Jupiter's equator) |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
|
| |
S/2003 J 2 is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. The discovery, by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard and David C. Jewitt, was announced on March 4, 2003.[1][2] As of 2015, it is Jupiter's outermost known moon.
S/2003 J 2 is about 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 29.54 gigametres (0.1975 AU) in 981.55 days, at an inclination of 154° to the ecliptic (152° to Jupiter's equator) and with an eccentricity of 0.4100.[3][4][5]
It seems to belong to a group all of its own, with semi-major axis ~30 gigametres (0.20 AU) and inclination ~160°.[4]
The limits of Jupiter's gravitational influence are defined by its Hill sphere, whose radius is 52 gigametres (0.35 AU). Retrograde moons with axes up to 67% of the Hill radius are believed to be stable. Consequently, it is possible that even more distant moons of Jupiter may be discovered.
References
- ↑ IAUC 8087: Satellites of Jupiter 2003 March 4 (discovery)
- ↑ Sheppard, Scott S.; Jewitt, David C. (2003). "An abundant population of small irregular satellites around Jupiter" (PDF). Nature. 423 (6937): 261–263. doi:10.1038/nature01584. PMID 12748634. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 15, 2006.
- ↑ MPEC 2003-E11: S/2003 J 1, 2003 J 2, 2003 J 3, 2003 J 4, 2003 J 5, 2003 J 6, 2003 J 7 2003 March 4 (discovery and ephemeris)
- 1 2 Mean orbital elements from NASA JPL (August 2006)
- ↑ Current (2004 July 14, JD= 2453200.5) orbital elements as reported by IAU-MPC NSES are a= 0.2024818 AU, e=0.1882469 i=153.52114