Thyone (moon) facts for kids

Thyone or Jupiter XXIX, is a small, non-round moon that goes around Jupiter. It was found in 2001 by a team of scientists from the University of Hawaii, led by Scott S. Sheppard. They first called it S/2001 J 2.

Thyone is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide. It travels around Jupiter at an average distance of 21,406,000 kilometers (about 13.3 million miles). It takes Thyone about 640 days to complete one trip around Jupiter. Its path is tilted about 147 degrees compared to Jupiter's middle.

How Thyone Got Its Name

Thyone was given its official name in August 2003. It is named after Thyone, who is also known as Semele. In Greek mythology, Semele was one of the people Zeus (the king of the gods) was interested in.

Thyone's Moon Family

Thyone is part of a group of moons called the Ananke group. These are moons that are not round and orbit Jupiter in the opposite direction of Jupiter's spin (this is called "retrograde"). The moons in this group are found between 19,300,000 and 22,700,000 kilometers from Jupiter. Their paths are usually tilted by about 150 degrees.

Images for kids

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  Thyone seen by the CFHT telescope on December 10, 2001, just before it was officially found.

See also

In Spanish: Tione (satélite) para niños