Euanthe (moon) facts for kids

Euanthe, also known as Jupiter XXXIII, is one of Jupiter's many moons. It's not perfectly round like Earth's Moon. A team of scientists from the University of Hawaii, led by Scott S. Sheppard, discovered Euanthe in 2001. When it was first found, it was called S/2001 J 7.

About Euanthe's Size and Path

Euanthe is quite small, only about 3 kilometres wide. It travels around Jupiter very far away. Its average distance from Jupiter is about 20,465,000 km. It takes Euanthe a long time to complete one trip around Jupiter – about 598 days.

Euanthe's path around Jupiter is also quite tilted. This tilt, called its inclination, is about 143 degrees compared to the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the imaginary flat plane where most planets orbit the Sun. Euanthe's orbit is also not a perfect circle; it's a bit stretched out. Scientists call this its orbital eccentricity.

How Euanthe Got Its Name

This moon was officially named in August 2003. It was named after Euanthe, a figure from Greek stories. Some Greek writers said that Euanthe was the mother of the Charites, who were goddesses known as the Graces.

Euanthe's Moon Family

Euanthe belongs to a group of moons called the Ananke group. These moons all orbit Jupiter in a special way. They move in the opposite direction to Jupiter's spin, which is called a retrograde orbit. They are also not perfectly round. The moons in the Ananke group orbit Jupiter between 19,300,000 and 22,700,000 km away. Their orbits are usually tilted by about 150 degrees.

See also

In Spanish: Euante (satélite) para niños