Arche (moon) facts for kids

Arche or Jupiter XLIII, is a small moon that goes around the giant planet Jupiter. It was discovered by a group of scientists from the University of Hawaii in 2002. This team was led by an astronomer named Scott S. Sheppard. When it was first found, it was given the temporary name S/2002 J 1.

What is Arche?

Arche is a very small moon. It is only about 3 kilometers (about 1.8 miles) wide. To give you an idea, that's roughly the size of a small town!

Arche's Journey Around Jupiter

Arche travels around Jupiter quite far away. Its average distance from Jupiter is about 23,717,000 kilometers (about 14.7 million miles). It takes Arche a long time to complete one trip around Jupiter – about 746 days, which is more than two Earth years!

Arche's path around Jupiter is not perfectly flat. It is tilted at an angle of about 165 degrees compared to Jupiter's equator. This means it orbits Jupiter almost backward compared to many other moons. Its orbit is also a bit oval-shaped, not a perfect circle.

How Arche Got Its Name

In 2005, this moon was officially named Arche. The name comes from Arche, a figure from ancient Greek stories. Some Greek writers believed Arche was one of the original Muses. Muses were goddesses who inspired people in arts, science, and literature. Arche was thought to be an addition to the three earlier Muses: Aoede, Melete, and Mneme.

Part of the Carme Group

Arche is not alone in its journey around Jupiter. It belongs to a family of moons called the Carme group. This group is made up of several moons that are not perfectly round. They all orbit Jupiter very far away, between 23,000,000 and 24,000,000 kilometers. Like Arche, all the moons in the Carme group also orbit Jupiter in a backward direction, with a tilt of about 165 degrees.

See also

In Spanish: Arce (satélite) para niños