Lysithea (moon)
Lysithea /laɪˈsɪθiə/ is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered 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.
Near-infrared photograph of Lysithea (center) by the 2MASS survey | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Seth B. Nicholson |
| Discovery site | Mt. Wilson Observatory |
| Discovery date | 6 July 1938 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter X |
| Pronunciation | /laɪˈsɪθiə/ |
Named after | Λυσιθέα Lysithea |
| Adjectives | Lysithean /laɪˈsɪθiən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Observation arc | 79.87 yr (29,171 days) |
| 0.0782144 AU (11,700,710 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1478734 |
| +258.57 d | |
| 27.18992° | |
| 1° 23m 32.227s / day | |
| Inclination | 26.29254° (to ecliptic) |
| 343.46495° | |
| 94.80010° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Himalia group |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 42.2±0.7 km (WISE) 42.2±3 km (occultation): 6 |
| 12.78±0.10 h | |
| Albedo | 0.036±0.006 |
Spectral type | C/P |
| 18.2 | |
| 11.2 | |
Lysithea did not receive 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, moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 28.3°. Its orbital elements are as of January 2000. They are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations. It is gray in color (B−V=0.72, V−R=0.36, V−I=0.74) and intermediate between C-type and P-type asteroids.
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