Kalyke (moon) facts for kids
Kalyke is one of the many small moons that orbit the giant planet Jupiter. It's also known as Jupiter XXIII. Unlike Earth's moon, Kalyke isn't perfectly round; it's shaped more like a potato!
Astronomers found Kalyke in 2000. A team from the University of Hawaii, led by Scott S. Sheppard, discovered it. When it was first found, it was given the temporary name S/2000 J 2.
About Kalyke
Kalyke is a small moon, only about 5.2 kilometres (about 3.2 miles) wide. That's roughly the size of a small town!
It orbits very far from Jupiter, at an average distance of about 23,181,000 kilometres (about 14.4 million miles). It takes Kalyke a long time to complete one trip around Jupiter – about 721 Earth days, which is almost two years!
Kalyke's orbit is also quite tilted. It goes around Jupiter at an angle of about 166 degrees compared to Jupiter's path around the Sun. Its orbit is also not a perfect circle; it's a bit stretched out.
How Kalyke Got Its Name
In October 2002, this moon was officially named Kalyke. The name comes from Greek mythology. Kalyke was a figure in ancient Greek stories.
Part of the Carme Group
Kalyke is part of a family of moons called the Carme group. This group includes several small, non-spherical moons that orbit Jupiter.
These moons all travel in a "retrograde" direction. This means they orbit Jupiter in the opposite direction to Jupiter's own spin. The moons in the Carme group are all found at similar distances from Jupiter, between 23 million and 24 million kilometres. They also have orbits that are tilted at about 165 degrees.
Images for kids
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Kalyke was seen by the WISE spacecraft in 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Cálice (satélite) para niños
