Thelxinoe.space

Irregular moon of Jupiter (retrograde) · Outer Jovian system · Ananke group

Thelxinoe

Jupiter XLII · S/2003 J 22

A two-kilometre moon spotted in 2004 on images taken in 2003 — named after one of the four original Muses.

Key factsSpace and mythology book finder
Thelxinoe at a glance
Object typeIrregular, retrograde moon of Jupiter[1]
GroupAnanke group[1]
DiscoveredImages of Feb. 9, 2003; found in 2004[1]
DiscoverersScott S. Sheppard and Brett J. Gladman[2]
NamedMarch 2005, after one of the four original Muses[1]
Diameter≈ 2 km[1]
Mean distance≈ 21.0 million km from Jupiter[3]
Orbital period≈ 621 days[3]
Inclination≈ 151° (retrograde)[3]
Eccentricity≈ 0.23[3]

Found in old pictures

Thelxinoe was discovered in 2004 from pictures taken in 2003, and originally designated S/2003 J 22.[1] NASA credits Scott Sheppard and Brett Gladman with images from 9 February 2003 at Mauna Kea.[2]

Tiny

Thelxinoe is about 2 km across.[1] NASA gives a mean radius of about 1 km, assuming an albedo of 0.04.[2]

Ananke family

It belongs to the Ananke group, retrograde moons at roughly 19.3–22.7 million km and inclinations around 150°.[1]

A Muse

Named in March 2005, Thelxinoe honours one of the four original Muses according to some Greek writers, a daughter of Zeus by Mnemosyne.[1]

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Orbit

Thelxinoe orbits backwards between about 16.2 and 25.8 million km, once every 621 days.[3]

Jupiter Callisto (1.88 million km)Himalia (11.44 million km) farthest ≈ 25.8 million km closest ≈ 16.2 million km
Top-down orbit of Thelxinoe to scale, computed from JPL orbital elements (a ≈ 20.97 million km, e ≈ 0.229).[3] Callisto and Himalia orbits shown for comparison.[3] Mean orbital elements; the real orbit is tilted steeply and shifts over time, so this top-down view flattens it onto one plane.

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Discovered in the archive

How a moon imaged in 2003 was only recognised in 2004.

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Two teams hunting Jupiter’s moons

Sheppard’s and Gladman’s 2003 surveys.

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The four Muses

Thelxinoe’s place among the goddesses of inspiration.

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Sources

  1. Thelxinoe (moon) — Wikipedia
  2. Thelxinoe — NASA Science
  3. Planetary Satellite Mean Elements — NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
  4. Moons of Jupiter — Wikipedia
  5. Muses — Wikipedia

Figures are rounded; where sources differ we note it. Spotted an error? Tell us.