Chaldene (moon) facts for kids

Chaldene or Jupiter XXI, is one of the many moons orbiting the giant planet Jupiter. Unlike Earth's moon, Chaldene is not perfectly round. It was discovered in 2000 by a team of astronomers. This team was led by Scott S. Sheppard from the University of Hawaii. When it was first found, it was given a temporary name: S/2000 J 10.

About Chaldene

Chaldene is a small moon. It is about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles) wide. This is roughly the size of a small town. It travels around Jupiter very far away. Its average distance from Jupiter is about 22,713,000 kilometers (14,113,000 miles).

One trip around Jupiter takes Chaldene a long time. It completes one orbit in about 699 days. This is almost two Earth years! Its path around Jupiter is not a perfect circle. It is a bit stretched out. Also, its orbit is tilted. It is tilted by about 167 degrees compared to the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the path the Sun appears to take across the sky.

How Chaldene Got Its Name

Chaldene received its official name in October 2002. It was named after a character from Greek mythology. Chaldene was known as the mother of Solymos. Her son was fathered by Zeus, who is the Greek god similar to Jupiter in Roman myths.

The Carme Group

Chaldene is part of a group of moons called the Carme group. This group includes several small moons that orbit Jupiter. All moons in the Carme group are not perfectly round. They also orbit Jupiter in a special way. They move in a "retrograde" direction. This means they orbit Jupiter in the opposite direction to Jupiter's spin.

These moons are all found at a similar distance from Jupiter. Their orbits range from about 23,000,000 to 24,000,000 kilometers from the planet. Their orbits are also tilted by about 165 degrees. Scientists believe that these moons might have once been a single, larger object. This object could have broken apart a long time ago.

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