S/2003 J 2
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Discovery
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| Discovered by | University of Hawaiʻi team led by Scott S. Sheppard and David C. Jewitt |
| Discovery date | March 4, 2003 |
| Eccentricity | 0.4074 |
| Orbital period | 981.55 d (60.48 a) |
| Inclination | 154° (to the ecliptic) 152° (to Jupiter's equator) |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
S/2003 J 2 is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. The discovery, by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi led by Scott S. Sheppard and David C. Jewitt, was announced on March 4, 2003 [1][2] As of 2006, it is Jupiter's outermost known moon.
S/2003 J 2 is about 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 29.54 gigametres (0.1975 AU) in 980 days, at an inclination of 154° to the ecliptic (152° to Jupiter's equator) and with an eccentricity of 0.2255.[3][4][5]
It seems to belong to a group all of its own, with semi-major axis ~30 gigametres (0.20 AU) and inclination ~160°.[4]
The limits of Jupiter's gravitational influence are defined by its Hill sphere, whose radius is 52 gigametres (0.35 AU). Retrograde moons with axes up to 67% of Hill radius are believed to be stable. Consequently, it is possible that even more distant moons of Jupiter may be discovered.
[edit] References
- ^ IAUC 8087: Satellites of Jupiter 2003 March 4 (discovery)
- ^ Sheppard, Scott S.; Jewitt, David C. (2003). "An abundant population of small irregular satellites around Jupiter". Nature 423 (6937): 261–263. doi:.
- ^ MPEC 2003-E11: S/2003 J 1, 2003 J 2, 2003 J 3, 2003 J 4, 2003 J 5, 2003 J 6, 2003 J 7 2003 March 4 (discovery and ephemeris)
- ^ a b Mean orbital elements from NASA JPL (August 2006)
- ^ Current (2004 July 14, JD= 2453200.5) orbital elements as reported by IAU-MPC NSES are a= 0.2024818 AU, e=0.1882469 i=153.52114
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