Pasiphae (moon)
Pasiphae /pəˈsɪfeɪ.iː/, formerly spelled Pasiphaë, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1908 by Philibert Jacques Melotte and later named after the mythological Pasiphaë, wife of Minos and mother of the Minotaur from Greek legend.
Pasiphae photographed by the Haute-Provence Observatory in August 1998 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Philibert J. Melotte |
| Discovery site | Royal Observatory, Greenwich |
| Discovery date | 27 January 1908 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter VIII |
| Pronunciation | /pəˈsɪfeɪ.iː/ |
Named after | Πασιφάη Pāsiphaē |
| 1908 CJ | |
| Adjectives | Pasiphaëan /ˌpæsɪfeɪˈiːən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Observation arc | 110.34 yr (40,303 days) |
| 0.1551422 AU (23,208,940 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.6110162 |
| –722.34 d | |
| 259.25505° | |
| 0° 29m 54.18s / day | |
| Inclination | 153.40903° (to ecliptic) |
| 19.11682° | |
| 241.59647° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Pasiphae group |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 57.8±0.8 km |
| Albedo | 0.044±0.006 |
| 16.9 | |
| 10.1 | |
The moon was first spotted on a plate taken at the Royal Greenwich Observatory on the night of 28 February 1908. Inspection of previous plates found it as far back as January 27. It received the provisional designation 1908 CJ, as it was not clear whether it was an asteroid or a moon of Jupiter. The recognition of the latter case came by April 10.
Pasiphae did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter VIII. It was sometimes called "Poseidon" between 1955 and 1975.