Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard |
Discovery site | Las Campanas Obs. |
Discovery date | 15 October 2022 |
Orbital characteristics [2] [3] | |
Epoch 31 March 2024 ( JD 2460400.5) | |
Observation arc | 1.05 yr (384 d) |
0.1591710 AU (23,811,640 km) | |
Eccentricity | 0.1773868 |
–2.06 yr (–750.65 days) | |
97.80253 ° | |
0° 28m 46.495s / day | |
Inclination | 165.29213° (to ecliptic) |
154.53141° | |
145.16811° | |
Satellite of | Jupiter |
Group | Carme group |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | ≈1 km [4] |
Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) [4] |
24.0 (average) [4] | |
17.5 [2] | |
S/2022 J 2 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 15 October 2022 using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 22 February 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit. [1]
S/2022 J 2 is part of the Carme group, a tight cluster of retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Carme at semi-major axes between 22–24 million km (14–15 million mi), orbital eccentricities between 0.2 and 0.3, and inclinations between 163 and 166°. [4] With a diameter of about 1 km (0.62 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.5, it is one of Jupiter's smallest known moons with confirmed orbits. [4]