S/2003 J 12
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
| Discovery date | 2003 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
|
Mean orbit radius
|
17.883 million km[1] |
| Eccentricity | 0.4920 |
| 489.72 days | |
| Inclination | 143° |
| Physical characteristics | |
|
Mean radius
|
~0.5 km |
| Mass | 1.50×1012 kg |
S/2003 J 12 is a natural satellite of Jupiter, and is the smallest known satellite in the Solar System. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2003.[2][3]
S/2003 J 12 is about 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 17,883 Mm in 489.72 days, at an inclination of 143° to the ecliptic (143° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.4920.[1]
It is the innermost of the outer irregular retrograde satellites of Jupiter, and does not seem to belong to any group.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ IAUC 8089: Satellites of Jupiter 2003 March 7 (discovery)
- ↑ MPEC 2003-E29: S/2003 J 9, 2003 J 10, 2003 J 11, 2003 J 12; S/2003 J 1, 2003 J 6 2003 April 3 (discovery and ephemeris)
