Lysithea (moon) facts for kids
 |
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. B. Nicholson |
| Discovery date | July 6, 1938 |
| Designations | |
| Adjectives | Lysithean |
| Orbital characteristics | |
|
Mean orbit radius
|
11,720,000 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.11 |
| 259.20 d (0.69 a) | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
3.29 km/s |
| Inclination | 28.30° (to the ecliptic) 25.77° (to Jupiter's equator) |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Physical characteristics | |
|
Mean radius
|
18 km |
| ~4100 km2 | |
| Volume | ~24,400 km3 |
| Mass | 6.3×1016 kg |
|
Mean density
|
2.6 g/cm3 (assumed) |
| ~0.013 m/s2 (0.001 g) | |
| ~0.022 km/s | |
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) |
| Temperature | ~124 K |
Lysithea ( ly-SITH-ee-ə li-SITH-ee-ə; Greek: Λυσιθέα) is a prograde non-spherical moon of Jupiter. It was found by Seth Barnes Nicholson in 1938 at Mount Wilson Observatory and is named after the mythological Lysithea, daughter of Oceanus and one of Zeus' lovers.
Lysithea did not get its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter X. It was sometimes called "Demeter" from 1955 to 1975.
It belongs to the Himalia group, five moons orbiting between 11,000,000 and 13,000,000 km from Jupiter at an inclination of about 28.3°. Its orbital elements are as of January 2000. They are changing a lot due to Solar and planetary perturbations.
Images for kids
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Lysithea observed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Lisitea (satélite) para niños
