Lysithea (moon)

Lysithea

Discovery

Discovered by

S. B. Nicholson

Discovered in

July 6, 1938

Orbital characteristics

Mean radius

11,653,230 km (0.07790 AU)

Eccentricity

0.1132

Periastron

10,334,100 km (0.069 AU)

Apastron

12,972,300 km (0.087 AU)

Orbital period

256.995 d (0.684 a)

Orbital circumference

km]] (0.488 AU)

Orbital velocity

max: 3.695 km/s
mean: 3.287 km/s
min: 2.943 km/s

Inclination

27.78° (to the ecliptic)
25.77° (to Jupiter's equator)

Is a satellite of

Jupiter

Physical characteristics

Mean diameter

36 km

Surface area

~4100 km²

Volume

~24,400 km³

Mass

6.3×10¹⁶ kg

Mean density

2.6 g/cm³

Surface gravity

~0.013 m/s² (0.001 g)

Escape velocity

~0.022 km/s

Rotation period

Axial tilt

?°

Albedo

0.04

Surface temp.

min	mean	max
K	~124 K	K

Atmospheric pressure

0 kPa

Lysithea (lye-sith'-ee-a or li-sith'-ee-a, IPA /laɪ'sɪ.θi.ə/, /lɪ'sɪ.θi.ə/; Greek Λυσιθέα) is a moon of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson in 1938 at Mount Wilson Observatory and is named after the mythological Lysithea, daughter of Oceanus and one of Zeus' lovers.

Lysithea did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter X. It was sometimes called "Demeter".

It belongs to the Himalia group, five moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°.

Links

Seth B. Nicholson, "Two new satellites of Jupiter", PASP 50 (1938) 292–293

... | Himalia | Lysithea | Elara | ...

Jupiter's natural satellites