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Carme group facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Carme group is a family of small moons that orbit the giant planet Jupiter. These moons are special because they all travel around Jupiter in a backward direction compared to most other moons. Scientists believe they all came from the same larger object that broke apart a long, long time ago.

These moons orbit Jupiter quite far away, between 22.9 million and 24.1 million kilometers (about 14.2 million to 15 million miles). They also have orbits that are very tilted, between 164.9 and 165.5 degrees, which is why they are called "retrograde" – they go the opposite way of Jupiter's rotation. Their paths around Jupiter are also a bit stretched out, not perfectly round.

TheIrregulars JUPITER GROUPS
This diagram illustrates the largest irregular satellites of Jupiter. The location of the Carme group is illustrated by Carme's presence in the lower middle. An object's position on the horizontal axis indicates its distance from Jupiter. The vertical axis indicates its inclination. Eccentricity is indicated by yellow bars illustrating the object's maximum and minimum distances from Jupiter. Circles illustrate an object's size in comparison to the others.

Who are the Moons in the Carme Group?

The main members of this group are:

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the group that names planets, moons, and other space objects. For all moons that orbit backward (retrograde moons), like those in the Carme group, the IAU makes sure their names end with the letter -e.

TheIrregulars JUPITER Carme CORE
This diagram compares the orbital elements and relative sizes of the core members of the Carme group. The horizontal axis illustrates their average distance from Jupiter, the vertical axis their orbital inclination, and the circles their relative sizes.

How Did the Carme Group Form?

Scientists think that the Carme group moons were once a single, larger space rock. This rock probably broke into many pieces when it was hit by something else a very long time ago. We have a few clues that support this idea:

  • All the moons in the group appear to be a light red color.
  • When scientists study their light using special tools (infrared spectra), they look similar to a type of space rock called D-type asteroids. This suggests they all came from the same parent body.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Grupo de Carmé para niños

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