Thyone (moon)
Thyone /θaɪˈoʊniː/, also known as Jupiter XXIX, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2001, and given the temporary designation S/2001 J 2.
Discovery images of Thyone by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in December 2001 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 December 2001 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter XXIX |
| Pronunciation | /θaɪˈoʊniː/ |
Named after | Θυώνη Thyōnē |
| S/2001 J 2 | |
| Adjectives | Thyonean /ˌθaɪəˈniːən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 20940000 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.229 |
| −603.58 days | |
| 26.6° | |
| Inclination | 148.5° |
| 243.0° | |
| 89.1° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Ananke group |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 4 km |
| 22.3 | |
Thyone is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 21,605,000 kilometres in 603.58 days, at an inclination of 147.28° to the ecliptic (146.93° to Jupiter's equator) with an eccentricity of 0.2526. Its average orbital speed is 2.43 km/s.
It was named in August 2003 after Thyone, better known as Semele, mother of Dionysus in Greek mythology.
Thyone belongs to the Ananke group, retrograde irregular moons which orbit Jupiter between 19.3 and 22.7 million kilometres, at inclinations of roughly 150°.