Harpalyke (moon) facts for kids

Harpalyke, also known as Jupiter XXII, is one of the many small moons orbiting the giant planet Jupiter. It's not perfectly round like Earth's Moon. Scientists discovered it in the year 2000.

Discovering Harpalyke

A team of astronomers found Harpalyke in 2000. They were from the University of Hawaii. Scott S. Sheppard led this discovery team. When they first found it, they gave it a temporary name: S/2000 J 5. This name means it was the 5th moon of Jupiter found in the year 2000.

How Harpalyke Got Its Name

In August 2003, this moon received its official name, Harpalyke. It was named after a character from ancient Greek myths. Harpalyke was the daughter of Klymenos. In some stories, she was a lover of Zeus. Zeus is the Greek god who is similar to the Roman god Jupiter. Many of Jupiter's moons are named after characters connected to Zeus or Jupiter in mythology.

What Harpalyke Looks Like and Where It Orbits

Harpalyke is a small moon, only about 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) wide. It looks grey, much like a type of space rock called a C-type asteroid.

This moon travels around Jupiter very far away. Its average distance is about 21,064,000 kilometers (about 13 million miles). It takes a long time to complete one orbit, about 624.5 days. Harpalyke's path around Jupiter is also tilted. It orbits at an inclination of 147 degrees compared to Jupiter's equator. Its orbit is also a bit stretched out, which scientists call an orbital eccentricity of 0.2441.

Part of the Ananke Group

Harpalyke belongs to a family of moons called the Ananke group. Scientists believe these moons are pieces left over from a larger asteroid. This asteroid was likely captured by Jupiter's strong gravity a very long time ago. Then, it broke apart into many smaller pieces, forming this group of moons.