S/2021 J 3 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 12 August 2021, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 19 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.[1]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard |
| Discovery site | Las Campanas Obs. |
| Discovery date | 12 August 2021 |
| Orbital characteristics[1][2] | |
| Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5) | |
| Observation arc | 1.17 yr (429 d) |
| 0.1436897 AU (21,495,670 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3556841 |
| –1.76 yr (–643.85 days) | |
| 64.69138° | |
| 0° 33m 32.902s / day | |
| Inclination | 150.10358° (to ecliptic) |
| 230.78156° | |
| 291.11314° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Ananke group |
| Physical characteristics | |
| ≈2 km[3] | |
| 23.8[3] | |
| 17.2[1] | |
S/2021 J 3 is part of the Ananke group, a cluster of retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Ananke at semi-major axes between 19–22 million km (12–14 million mi), orbital eccentricities between 0.1–0.4, and inclinations between 139–155°.[3] It has a diameter of about 2 km (1.2 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.2.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "MPEC 2023-B39 : S/2021 J 3". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". JPL Solar System Dynamics. NASA. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d Sheppard, Scott S. "Moons of Jupiter". Earth & Planets Laboratory. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
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