Megaclite
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Megaclite Script error: No such module "IPAc-en"., also known as Jupiter XIX, is one of Jupiter's smallest and outermost natural satellites.
Discovery and Naming
It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 J 8.[1][2][3]
It was named in October 2002 after Megaclite, mother by Zeus (Jupiter) of Thebe and Locrus in Greek mythology. It was initially erroneously named Magaclite, which was corrected in November 2002.[4][5] Despite this correction, some earlier research still referred to the moon as Magaclite.[6]
Orbit
Megaclite orbits Jupiter (on average at 23.5 million km) on a high-eccentricity (0.440) and high-inclination (148° to ecliptic) retrograde orbit. The orbital elements are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.
It belongs to the Pasiphae group, a group of retrograde moons of Jupiter with semi-major axes spread over 22–25 million km, inclinations between 141° and 158°, and higher eccentricities between 0.22 and 0.44.
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Physical characteristics
Megaclite's estimated diameter is 6 kilometers, assuming an albedo of 4%.
While Pasiphae belongs to the grey color class (B−V=0.74, V−R=0.38), Megaclite falls under the light red color class (B−V=0.94, V−R=0.41 ), similarly to Callirrhoe and Sinope.[6]
Origin
Megaclite probably did not form near Jupiter but was captured by Jupiter later. Megaclite is believed to be a fragment from a captured asteroid along with other Pasiphae group satellites.[7][8]
However, it falls into a different color class than Pasiphae and could therefore have been captured by Jupiter independently of the Pasiphae group.
References
- ↑ IAUC 7555: Satellites of Jupiter Script error: No such module "webarchive". 2001 January 5 (discovery)
- ↑ MPEC 2001-A29: S/2000 J 7, S/2000 J 8, S/2000 J 9, S/2000 J 10, S/2000 J 11 2001 January 15 (discovery and ephemeris)
- ↑ MPEC 2001-T59: S/2000 J 8, S/2000 J 9, S/2000 J 10 2001 October 15 (revised ephemeris)
- ↑ IAUC 7998: Satellites of Jupiter 2002 October 22 (naming the moon "Magaclite")
- ↑ IAUC 8023: Satellites of Jupiter 2002 November 29 (correcting the name)
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Sheppard, S. S.; and Jewitt, D. C.; An Abundant Population of Small Irregular Satellites Around Jupiter Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Nature, Vol. 423 (May 2003), pp. 261-263
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