S/2003 J 2
S/2003 J 2 imaged by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope during follow-up observations in February 2003 | |
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 5 February 2003 |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 17 December 2020 (JD 2459200.5) | |
| Observation arc | 16.42 yr (5,996 d) |
| Earliest precovery date | 11 December 2001 |
| 0.1373976 AU (20,554,390 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2776569 |
| –1.65 yr (–602.02 d) | |
| 114.43587° | |
Mean motion | 0° 35m 52.742s / day |
| Inclination | 149.20392° (to ecliptic) |
| 50.46976° | |
| 224.95527° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | ≈2 km[3] |
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed)[3] |
| 23.2[3] | |
| 16.7[2] | |
S/2003 J 2 is an unnamed non-spherical moon of Jupiter. It was found by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard and David C. Jewitt and was announced on March 4, 2003 [4][5] As of 2006, it is Jupiter's farthest known moon.
S/2003 J 2 is about two kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 29,540,000 km in 980 days, at an inclination of 154° to the ecliptic (152° to Jupiter's equator) and with an orbital eccentricity of 0.2255.[6][7][8]
It seems to belong to a group all of its own, with a distant and retrograde orbit.
References
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "MPEC 2021-B134 : S/2003 J 2". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 S.S. Sheppard (2019), Moons of Jupiter, Carnegie Science, on line
- ↑ IAUC 8087: Satellites of Jupiter 2003 March 4 (discovery)
- ↑ Sheppard, S. S.; and Jewitt, D. C.; An Abundant Population of Small Irregular Satellites Around Jupiter, Nature, Vol. 423 (May 2003), pp. 261-263
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ 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