S/2011 J 3 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 27 September 2011, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center 11 years later on 20 December 2022, 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 | 27 September 2011 |
| Orbital characteristics[1][2] | |
| Epoch 9 August 2022 (JD 2459800.5) | |
| Observation arc | 10.98 yr (4,009 d) |
| 0.0788592 AU (11,797,170 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1757518 |
| +261.77 days | |
| 215.57916° | |
| 1° 22m 30.884s / day | |
| Inclination | 28.65923° (to ecliptic) |
| 97.75374° | |
| 222.10770° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Himalia group |
| Physical characteristics | |
| ≈3 km[3] | |
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed)[3] |
| 23.1[3] | |
| 16.3[1] | |
S/2011 J 3 is part of the Himalia group, a tight cluster of prograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Himalia at semi-major axes between 11–12 million km (6.8–7.5 million mi) and inclinations between 26–31°.[3] With an estimated diameter of 3 km (1.9 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 16.3, it is among the smallest known members of the Himalia group.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "MPEC 2022-Y69 : S/2011 J 3". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ "Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". JPL Solar System Dynamics. NASA. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Sheppard, Scott S. "Moons of Jupiter". Earth & Planets Laboratory. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
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