Astronomy:Leda (moon)

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Short description: Outer moon of Jupiter
Leda
Leda2(moon).jpg
Discovery image of Leda taken by the Palomar Observatory in 1974
Discovery [1]
Discovered byCharles T. Kowal
Discovery sitePalomar Observatory
Discovery date14 September 1974
Designations
Designation
Jupiter XIII
Pronunciation/ˈldə/[2]
Named afterΛήδα Lēdā
AdjectivesLedian /ˈldiən/,[3] Ledean /ˈldiən/[4] or /lˈdən/[5]
Orbital characteristics[6]
Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5)
Observation arc42.60 yr (15,561 days)
0.0748405 astronomical unit|AU (11,195,980 km)
Eccentricity0.1648788
Orbital period+242.02 d
Mean anomaly137.02571°
Mean motion1° 29m 14.953s / day
Inclination27.63631° (to ecliptic)
Longitude of ascending node190.18497°
312.92965°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupHimalia group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter21.5±1.7 km[7]
Albedo0.034±0.006[7]
Apparent magnitude20.2[8]
Absolute magnitude (H)12.7[6]


Leda /ˈldə/, also known as Jupiter XIII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, after three nights' worth of photographic plates had been taken (September 11 through 13; Leda appears on all of them).[1][9] It was named after Leda, who was raped[10] by Zeus, the Greek equivalent of Jupiter (who came to her in the form of a swan). Kowal suggested the name and the IAU endorsed it in 1975.[11]

Leda belongs to the Himalia group, moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°.[12] The orbital elements given here are as of January 2021, but they are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

Single-exposure image of Leda by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft in 2010

See also

  • Jupiter's moons in fiction

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Kowal, C. T.; Aksnes, K.; Marsden, B. G.; Roemer, E. (1974). "Thirteenth satellite of Jupiter". Astronomical Journal 80: 460–464. doi:10.1086/111766. Bibcode1975AJ.....80..460K. http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/AJ.../0080//0000460.000.html. 
  2. "Leda". Leda. Oxford University Press. http://www.lexico.com/definition/Leda. 
  3. Ken Monteith (2007) Yeats and theosophy, p. 10
  4. Wit Pietrzak (2011) Myth, Language and Tradition: A Study of Yeats, Stevens, and Eliot in the Context of Heidegger's Search for Being, p. 70–72
  5. R.W. Chapman (1939) Adjectives from Proper Names, p. 55
  6. 6.0 6.1 "M.P.C. 128893". Minor Planet Circular. Minor Planet Center. 27 January 2021. https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2021/MPC_20210127.pdf. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Grav, T.Expression error: Unrecognized word "etal". (August 2015). "NEOWISE: Observations of the Irregular Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn". The Astrophysical Journal 809 (1): 9. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/1/3. 3. Bibcode2015ApJ...809....3G. https://authors.library.caltech.edu/61254/1/Grav_2015.pdf. 
  8. Sheppard, Scott. "Scott S. Sheppard - Jupiter Moons". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Carnegie Institution for Science. https://sites.google.com/carnegiescience.edu/sheppard/moons/jupitermoons. 
  9. Brian G. Marsden (September 20, 1974). "IAUC 2702: Probable New Satellite of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/02700/02702.html. 
  10. Leda and the Swan
  11. Marsden, Brian G. (October 7, 1975). "Satellites of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/02800/02846.html. 
  12. Jacobson, R. A. (2000). "The orbits of outer Jovian satellites". Astronomical Journal 120 (5): 2679–2686. doi:10.1086/316817. Bibcode2000AJ....120.2679J. https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/2014/15175/1/00-1187.pdf. 

External links