Lysithea (moon)

Lysithea
Near-infrared photograph of Lysithea (center) by the 2MASS survey
Discovery[1]
Discovered bySeth B. Nicholson
Discovery siteMt. Wilson Observatory
Discovery date6 July 1938
Designations
Designation
Jupiter X
Pronunciation/laɪˈsɪθiə/[2][3]
Named after
Λυσιθέα Lysithea
AdjectivesLysithean /laɪˈsɪθiən/[4]
Orbital characteristics[5]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Observation arc79.87 yr (29,171 days)
0.0782144 AU (11,700,710 km)
Eccentricity0.1478734
+258.57 d
27.18992°
1° 23m 32.227s / day
Inclination26.29254° (to ecliptic)
343.46495°
94.80010°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupHimalia group
Physical characteristics
42.2±0.7 km (WISE)[6]
42.2±3 km (occultation)[7]: 6 
12.78±0.10 h[8]
Albedo0.036±0.006[6]
Spectral type
C/P[6]
18.2[9]
11.2[5]

Lysithea /laɪˈsɪθiə/ also known as Jupiter X is one of the larger irregular satellites of Jupiter.

Discovery and Naming

Lysithea was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson in 1938 at Mount Wilson Observatory [1]

It is named after the mythological Lysithea, daughter of Oceanus and one of Zeus' lovers.[10] Lysithea did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter X. It was sometimes called "Demeter"[11] from 1955 to 1975.

Orbit

Lysithea orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 11,700,710 km km in 258,57 days, at an inclination of about 27° to the ecliptic, in a prograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.148. Its orbit is continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

Lysithea belongs to the Himalia group, a prograde group of moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclinations between 27 and 30°, and eccentricities between 0.11 and 0.24.

Physical characteristics

Lysithea has a of diameter of about 42 kilometers, with a measured albedo of about 3,6%. [6] , making it the fifth largest irregular moon of Jupiter.

Like the other members of the Himalia group, the satellite appears gray(B−V=0.72, V−R=0.36, V−I=0.74) and intermediate between C-type and P-type asteroids.[12][6]

The rotation period is approximately 12 hours and 45,6 min.[8]

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

Origin

Lysithea probably did not form near Jupiter but was captured by Jupiter later.Like the other members of the Himalia group, which have similar orbits, Lysithea is probably the remnant of a broken, captured heliocentric asteroid.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Nicholson, S. B. (October 1938). "Two New Satellites of Jupiter". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 50 (297): 292–293. Bibcode:1938PASP...50..292N. doi:10.1086/124963. S2CID 120216615.
  2. ^ "Lysithea". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  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. ^ a b "M.P.C. 115890" (PDF). Minor Planet Circular. Minor Planet Center. 27 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e 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" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 809 (1): 9. arXiv:1505.07820. Bibcode:2015ApJ...809....3G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/1/3. S2CID 5834661. 3.
  7. ^ Gomes-Júnior, A. R. (April 2021). "The Irregular Satellites of the Giant Planets" (PDF). Journal for Occultation Astronomy. 11 (2): 3–9. Bibcode:2021JOA....11b...3G.
  8. ^ a b 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. ^ Sheppard, Scott. "Scott S. Sheppard - Jupiter Moons". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. ^ Marsden, Brian G. (7 October 1975). "Satellites of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union.
  11. ^ Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia; Katherine Haramundanis (1970). Introduction to Astronomy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-478107-4.
  12. ^ Grav, Tommy; Holman, M. J.; Gladman, B. J.; Aksnes, K. (2003). "Photometric survey of the irregular satellites". Icarus. 166 (1): 33–45. arXiv:astro-ph/0301016. Bibcode:2003Icar..166...33G. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.07.005. S2CID 7793999.
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