Carme group
Overview
 
The Carme group is a group of retrograde
Retrograde and direct motion
Apparent retrograde motion is the motion of a planetary body in a direction opposite to that of other bodies within its system as observed from a particular vantage point...

 irregular satellite
Irregular satellite
In astronomy, an irregular moon is a natural satellite following a distant, inclined, and often eccentric and retrograde orbit. They are believed to have been captured by their parent planet, unlike regular satellites, which form in situ....

s of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

 that follow similar orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...

s to Carme
Carme (moon)
Carme is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in California in July 1938. It is named after the mythological Carme, mother by Zeus of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess....

 and are thought to have a common origin.

Their semi-major axes
Semi-major axis
The major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter, a line that runs through the centre and both foci, its ends being at the widest points of the shape...

 (distances from Jupiter) range between 22.9 and 24.1 Gm
Gigametre
A gigametre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billion meters, the SI base unit of length, hence to 1,000,000 km or approximately 621,370 miles....

, their orbital inclinations between 164.9° and 165.5°, and their orbital eccentricities between 0.23 and 0.27 (with one exception).
The core members include (from largest to smallest):
  • Carme (the largest, which gives its name to the group)
  • Taygete
    Taygete (moon)
    Taygete , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

  • Eukelade
    Eukelade (moon)
    Eukelade , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

  • S/2003 J 5
    S/2003 J 5
    ' is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2003....

  • Chaldene
    Chaldene (moon)
    Chaldene , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

  • Isonoe
    Isonoe (moon)
    Isonoe , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

  • Kalyke
    Kalyke (moon)
    Kalyke , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

     (substantially redder than the others)
  • Erinome
    Erinome (moon)
    Erinome , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

  • Aitne
    Aitne (moon)
    Aitne , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard, et al. in 2001, and given the temporary designation '...

  • Kale
    Kale (moon)
    Kale , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 2001 by astronomers S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt, and J...

  • Pasithee
    Pasithee (moon)
    Pasithee , also known as ', is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S...

  • S/2003 J 9
    S/2003 J 9
    ' is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2003....

  • S/2003 J 10
    S/2003 J 10
    ' is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard et al. in 2003....



The International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...

 (IAU) reserves names in -e for all retrograde moons, including this group's members.
The very low dispersion
Statistical dispersion
In statistics, statistical dispersion is variability or spread in a variable or a probability distribution...

 of the mean
Mean
In statistics, mean has two related meanings:* the arithmetic mean .* the expected value of a random variable, which is also called the population mean....

1 orbital elements among the core members (the group is separated by less than 700,000 km in semi major axis and less than 0.7° in inclination) suggests that the Carme group may once have been a single body that was broken apart by an impact.
 
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