Eukelade (moon) facts for kids

Eukelade (also called Jupiter XLVII) is one of the many moons that orbit the giant planet Jupiter. It's not perfectly round like Earth's Moon; instead, it has an irregular, non-spherical shape.

Astronomers from the University of Hawaii, led by Scott S. Sheppard, discovered Eukelade in 2003. When it was first found, it was given the temporary name S/2003 J 1.

About Eukelade

Eukelade is quite small, only about 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) across. It travels very far from Jupiter, orbiting at an average distance of 23,484,000 kilometers (about 14.6 million miles).

It takes Eukelade a long time to complete one trip around Jupiter: about 735 days, which is more than two Earth years! Its path around Jupiter is also quite tilted, at an angle of 164 degrees compared to the ecliptic (the path the Sun seems to take across the sky). The moon's orbit is also a bit stretched out, not a perfect circle.

How Eukelade Got Its Name

In March 2005, this moon was officially named Eukelade. The name comes from Eukelade, a figure in ancient Greek stories. Some Greek writers described her as one of the Muses, who were goddesses of arts and sciences. Because she was a Muse, she was considered a daughter of Zeus, who is the Greek god similar to the Roman god Jupiter. This is why many of Jupiter's moons are named after characters connected to Zeus or Jupiter.

Eukelade and the Carme Group

Eukelade is part of a family of moons called the Carme group. This group includes several moons that are also not round. They all orbit Jupiter in a "retrograde" direction, meaning they move opposite to Jupiter's spin.

These moons are found at similar distances from Jupiter, usually between 23 million and 24 million kilometers. They also have similar tilted orbits, around 165 degrees. Scientists believe that all the moons in the Carme group might have once been a single, larger object that broke apart after a collision.