Cyllene (moon)

moon of Jupiter

Cyllene or Jupiter XLVIII, is a moon of Jupiter. A team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2003 found it. Its designation is S/2003 J 13.[1][2]

Cyllene is about 2 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 23,396,000 km in 731.099 days, at an inclination of 140° to the ecliptic (140° to Jupiter's equator), with an orbital eccentricity of 0.4116.

It was named in March 2005 after Cyllene, a naiad (stream nymph) or oread (mountain nymph) associated with Mount Kyllini, Greece.[3] She was a daughter of Zeus (Jupiter).

Cyllene belongs to the Pasiphaë group, non-spherical retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at distances ranging between 22,800,000 and 24,100,000 km, and with inclinations ranging between 144.5° and 158.3°.

References change

  1. IAUC 8116: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn 2003 April 11 (discovery)
  2. MPEC 2003-G09: S/2003 J 13 2003 April 2 (discovery and ephemeris)
  3. IAUC 8502: Satellites of Jupiter 2005 March 30 (naming the moon)