Kale (moon) facts for kids

Kale is a small moon that orbits the giant planet Jupiter. It's not perfectly round like Earth's Moon; it's more of an irregular shape. Scientists found Kale in 2001. It was discovered by a team of astronomers at the University of Hawaii. When it was first spotted, it was given a temporary name: S/2001 J 8.

About Kale

Kale is quite small, only about 2 kilometers (a little over a mile) wide. To give you an idea, that's roughly the size of a small town! It travels around Jupiter very far away, about 22,409,000 kilometers (that's over 13 million miles).

It takes Kale a long time to complete one trip around Jupiter. It takes about 685 days, which is almost two Earth years! Kale's path around Jupiter is also quite tilted compared to Jupiter's equator.

How Kale Got Its Name

Kale received its official name in August 2003. It was named after one of the Charites from ancient Greek stories. The Charites, also known as the Graces, were goddesses of charm, beauty, and creativity. They were believed to be the daughters of Zeus, who is the Greek god equivalent to the Roman god Jupiter. In some old stories, Kale was even said to be the wife of Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths.

Part of the Carme Group

Kale is not alone in its journey around Jupiter. It belongs to a group of moons called the Carme group. This group includes several other small, irregularly shaped moons. All these moons orbit Jupiter in a similar way. They travel in a direction opposite to Jupiter's spin, which is called a retrograde orbit. They also orbit at a similar distance from Jupiter, usually between 23 million and 24 million kilometers. Their orbits are also tilted at about the same angle as Kale's.

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot, like those who might explore space one day!