Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard |
Discovery site | Cerro Tololo Obs. |
Discovery date | 12 May 2018 |
Orbital characteristics [1] [2] | |
Epoch 9 August 2022 ( JD 2459800.5) | |
Observation arc | 19.48 yr (7,115 d) |
Earliest precovery date | 27 March 2003 |
0.0766555 AU (11,467,500 km) | |
Eccentricity | 0.1184102 |
+250.88 days | |
99.239 ° | |
1° 26m 5.896s / day | |
Inclination | 29.40421° (to ecliptic) |
66.06734° | |
342.09685° | |
Satellite of | Jupiter |
Group | Himalia group |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | ≈3 km [3] |
Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) [3] |
23.3 [3] | |
16.5 [1] | |
S/2018 J 2 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 12 May 2018, using the 4.0-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope at Cerro Tololo Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center four years later on 20 December 2022, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit. The satellite has been found in precovery observations as early as 27 March 2003. [1]
S/2018 J 2 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 16.5, it is among the smallest known members of the Himalia group. [3]