Carpo (moon)
Encyclopedia
Carpo also , is a natural satellite
of Jupiter
. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii
led by Scott S. Sheppard
in 2003, and was provisionally designated as until it received its name in early 2005.
Carpo is about 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 17.145 Gm in 458.625 days, at an inclination
of 56° to the ecliptic
(55° to Jupiter's equator), and with a high eccentricity of 0.4316. All of the moons further from Jupiter than Carpo are retrograde
.
It was named in March 2005 after Carpo, one of the Horae
, and a daughter of Zeus
(Jupiter).
Like Themisto
, this moon seems to be the lone member of a unique class, which makes it particularly interesting. The orbital inclination
of satellites such as this one is limited by the Kozai effect, discovered by Yoshihide Kozai in 1962. This effect induces a periodic exchange between the inclination and eccentricity of the orbit; if the inclination is large enough, the eccentricity can in turn grow so large that the periapsis of the satellite (called the perizene in the case of moons of Jupiter) would be in the immediate vicinity of the Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto). The satellite would eventually collide with one of these, or a close encounter would eject it altogether from the Jovian system. The periapsis precession period (Pw) is 6.8 million years long.
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
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,...
. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
led by Scott S. Sheppard
Scott S. Sheppard
Scott S. Sheppard is an astronomer in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Starting as a graduate student at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, he was credited with the discovery of many small moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and...
in 2003, and was provisionally designated as until it received its name in early 2005.
Carpo is about 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 17.145 Gm in 458.625 days, at an inclination
Inclination
Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
of 56° to the ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
(55° to Jupiter's equator), and with a high eccentricity of 0.4316. All of the moons further from Jupiter than Carpo are retrograde
Retrograde motion
Retrograde motion is motion in the direction opposite to the movement of something else, and is the contrary of direct or prograde motion. This motion can be the orbit of one body about another body or about some other point, or the rotation of a single body about its axis, or other phenomena such...
.
It was named in March 2005 after Carpo, one of the Horae
Horae
In Greek mythology the Horae or Hours were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time. They were originally the personifications of nature in its different seasonal aspects, but in later times they were regarded as goddessess of order in general and natural justice...
, and a daughter of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
(Jupiter).
Like Themisto
Themisto (moon)
Themisto , also known as ', is a small prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1975, lost, and then rediscovered in 2000.- Discovery and naming :...
, this moon seems to be the lone member of a unique class, which makes it particularly interesting. The orbital inclination
Inclination
Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
of satellites such as this one is limited by the Kozai effect, discovered by Yoshihide Kozai in 1962. This effect induces a periodic exchange between the inclination and eccentricity of the orbit; if the inclination is large enough, the eccentricity can in turn grow so large that the periapsis of the satellite (called the perizene in the case of moons of Jupiter) would be in the immediate vicinity of the Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto). The satellite would eventually collide with one of these, or a close encounter would eject it altogether from the Jovian system. The periapsis precession period (Pw) is 6.8 million years long.
External links
- Jupiter's Known Satellites (by Scott S. SheppardScott S. SheppardScott S. Sheppard is an astronomer in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Starting as a graduate student at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, he was credited with the discovery of many small moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and...
)