Megaclite (moon)
Encyclopedia
Megaclite also known as , 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 2000, and given the temporary designation .
Megaclite is about 5.4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 24.687 million kilometers in 792.437 days, at an inclination
of 150° to the ecliptic
(148° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde
direction and with an eccentricity of 0.308.
It was named in October 2002 after Megaclite, mother by Zeus
(Jupiter) of Thebe
and Locrus
(although both of these are assigned a different mother by other authors).
It belongs to the Pasiphaë group
, irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at distances ranging between 22.8 and 24.1 Gm, and with inclination
s ranging between 144.5° and 158.3°.
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 2000, and given the temporary designation .
Megaclite is about 5.4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 24.687 million kilometers in 792.437 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 150° 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...
(148° to Jupiter's equator), in a 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...
direction and with an eccentricity of 0.308.
It was named in October 2002 after Megaclite, mother by 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) of Thebe
Thebe
Thebe is a female name mentioned several times in Greek mythology, in accounts that imply multiple female characters, three of whom are said to have had two cities named Thebes after them:...
and Locrus
Locrus
In Greek mythology, the name Locrus may refer to:1. Locrus son of Physcius and grandson of Amphictyon son of Deucalion, became by Cabya the father of another Locrus, the mythical ancestor of the Ozolian Locrians . According to some the wife of the former Locrus was called Cambyse or Protogeneia .2...
(although both of these are assigned a different mother by other authors).
It belongs to the Pasiphaë group
Pasiphaë group
The Pasiphaë group is a group of retrograde irregular satellites of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Pasiphaë and are thought to have a common origin....
, irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at distances ranging between 22.8 and 24.1 Gm, and with 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...
s ranging between 144.5° and 158.3°.