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Themisto (moon)

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Themisto
Rediscovery images of Themisto taken by the UH88 telescope in November 2000
Discovery [1][2]
Discovered byCharles T. Kowal (1975)
Elizabeth P. Roemer (1975)
Scott S. Sheppard (2000)
David C. Jewitt (2000)
Yanga R. Fernández (2000)
Eugene A. Magnier (2000)
Discovery sitePalomar Observatory
Mauna Kea Observatory (rediscovery)
Discovery date30 September 1975
21 November 2000 (rediscovery)
Designations
Designation
Jupiter XVIII
Pronunciation/θəˈmɪstoʊ/[3]
Named after
Θεμιστώ Themistō
S/2000 J 1
S/1975 J 1
AdjectivesThemistoan /θɛməˈstoʊ.ən/[4] Themistoian /θɛməˈstoʊ.iən/
Orbital characteristics [5]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Observation arc42.54 yr (15,536 days)
0.0494401 AU (7,396,130 km)
Eccentricity0.2522112
+129.95 d
2.39396°
2° 46m 13.369s / day
Inclination45.28121° (to ecliptic)
192.64162°
241.25168°
Satellite ofJupiter
Group(own group)
Physical characteristics[6]
9 km
Albedo0.04 (assumed)
21.0[7]
12.9[5]

Themisto /θəˈmɪstoʊ/, also known as Jupiter XVIII, is a small prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1975, subsequently lost, and rediscovered in 2000.

Discovery and naming

Themisto observed by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on 6 August 2000, several months before its rediscovery in November 2000

Themisto was first discovered by Charles T. Kowal and Elizabeth Roemer on 30 September 1975, reported on 3 October 1975,[1] and designated S/1975 J 1. However, not enough observations were made to establish an orbit and it was subsequently lost.

Themisto appeared as a footnote in astronomy textbooks into the 1980s.[citation needed] Then, in 2000, a seemingly new satellite was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Yanga R. Fernández and Eugene A. Magnier, and was designated S/2000 J 1. It was soon confirmed that this was the same as the one observed in 1975.[2] This observation was immediately correlated with an observation on 6 August 2000, by the team of Brett J. Gladman, John J. Kavelaars, Jean-Marc Petit, Hans Scholl, Matthew J. Holman, Brian G. Marsden, Philip D. Nicholson and Joseph A. Burns, which was reported to the Minor Planet Center but not published as an IAU Circular (IAUC).[8]

In October 2002 it was officially named after Themisto,[9] daughter of the river god Inachus and lover of Zeus (Jupiter) in Greek mythology.

Characteristics

Diagram illustrating Themisto's orbit (top left) among those of the other irregular satellites of Jupiter. The satellites above the horizontal axis are prograde, the satellites beneath it are retrograde. The yellow segments extend from the pericentre to the apocentre, showing the orbital eccentricity.

Themisto's orbit is unusual: unlike most of Jupiter's moons, which orbit in distinct groups, Themisto orbits alone. The moon is located midway between the Galilean moons and the first group of prograde irregular moons, called the Himalia group.

Themisto is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) in diameter (assuming an albedo of 0.04).[10] That figure can be used to find a surface area of between 200 and 380 square kilometers.

References

  1. ^ a b Brian G. Marsden (3 October 1975). "IAUC 2845: Probable New Satellite of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.
  2. ^ a b Brian G. Marsden (25 November 2000). "IAUC 7525: S/1975 J 1 = S/2000 J 1". International Astronomical Union Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.
  3. ^ Cf. 'Themista' in Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  4. ^ 'Themis[t]oan' in James Hall (2015) Moons of the Solar System, p. 82.
  5. ^ a b "M.P.C. 110499" (PDF). Minor Planet Circular. Minor Planet Center. 29 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters". JPL.
  7. ^ Sheppard, Scott. "Scott S. Sheppard - Jupiter Moons". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  8. ^ "MPEC 2000-Y16: S/1975 J 1 = S/2000 J 1, S/1999 J 1". International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center. 19 December 2000.
  9. ^ Daniel W. E. Green (22 October 2002). "IAUC 7998: Satellites of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union.
  10. ^ Sheppard, S. S.; Jewitt, D. C.; An abundant population of small irregular satellites around Jupiter, Nature, 423 (May 15, 2003), pp. 261–263
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