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Metis (moon) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
Metis (moon) facts for kids
Image of Metis was taken by Galileo's solid state imaging system between November 1996 and June 1997.
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| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. Synnott |
| Discovery date | March 4, 1979 |
| Names | |
| Orbit | |
| Shortest distance from what it orbits | 127,974 km |
| Longest distance from what it orbits | 128,026 km |
| Avg. distance from the center of its orbital path | 128,000 km (1.792 RJ) |
| How long it takes to complete an orbit | 0.294780 d (7 h 4.5 min) |
| Average speed | 31.501 km/s |
| Angle above the reference plane ("inclination") |
0.06° (to Jupiter's equator) |
| What it orbits | Jupiter |
| Size and other qualities | |
| Average radius | 21.5 ± 2.0 km |
| Volume | ~42,700 km³ |
| Mass | 3.6 ×1016 kg |
| Average density | 0.86 g/cm³ (assumed) |
| Surface gravity | 0.005 m/s² (0.0005 g) |
| Escape velocity | 0.012 km/s |
| Rotation period | synchronous |
| Angle at which it turns (in relation to its orbit) |
zero |
| How much light it reflects | 0.061 ± 0.003 |
| Avg. surface temp. | ~123 K |
Metis or Jupiter XVI, is Jupiter's closest moon.
Metis was found in 1979 by Stephen P. Synnott in images taken by the Voyager 1 probe. Its designation was S/1979 J 3. In 1983 it was named after the mythological Metis, a Titaness who was the first wife of Zeus (the Greek equivalent of Jupiter).
Metis not a sphere and measures 60×40×34 km across. The composition and mass of Metis are not known, but assuming that its mean density is like that of Amalthea (~0.86 g/cm³), its mass can be estimated as ~7×1016 kg. Amalthea's density implies that moon is composed of water ice with a porosity of 10-15%, and Adrastea may be similar.
The surface of Metis is very cratered. It is dark and appears to be reddish in color.
Orbit
Metis is the closest moon to Jupiter. It orbits Jupiter at a distance of ~1269,000 km. It has a very small orbital eccentricity (~0.0002) and inclination (~ 0.06°) relative to the equator of Jupiter.
Exploration
The images taken by Voyager 1 showed Metis only as a dot, and very little was known about Metis until the arrival of the Galileo spacecraft. Galileo took pictures of almost all of the surface of Metis and put constraints on its composition.
Images for kids
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Metis as taken by Galileo