S/2021 J 2

S/2021 J 2 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 12 August 2021, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 19 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.

S/2021 J 2
Discovery
Discovered byScott S. Sheppard
Discovery siteLas Campanas Obs.
Discovery date12 August 2021
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Observation arc1.06 yr (387 d)
0.1413164 AU (21,140,630 km)
Eccentricity0.3413342
–1.72 yr (–627.96 days)
320.08120°
0° 34m 23.822s / day
Inclination150.11397° (to ecliptic)
340.99094°
71.71210°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupAnanke group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
1 km
24.0
17.3

    S/2021 J 2 is part of the Ananke group, a cluster of retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Ananke at semi-major axes between 19–22 million km (12–14 million mi), orbital eccentricities between 0.1–0.4, and inclinations between 139–155°. It has a diameter of about 1 km (0.62 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.3, making it one of Jupiter's smallest known moons.

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