Lysithea is a
prograde irregular satellite of
Jupiter. It was discovered by
Seth Barnes Nicholson in 1938 at
Mount Wilson Observatory and is named after the mythological
Lysithea, daughter of
Oceanus
In Greek mythology, Oceanus (; grc-gre, , Ancient Greek pronunciation: , also Ὠγενός , Ὤγενος , or Ὠγήν ) was a Titan son of Uranus and Gaia, the husband of his sister the Titan Tethys, and the father of the river gods a ...
and one of
Zeus' lovers.
Lysithea did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as . It was sometimes called "
Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...
"
from 1955 to 1975.
It belongs to the
Himalia group
The Himalia group is a group of prograde irregular satellites of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Himalia and are thought to have a common origin.Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt
''An abundant population of small irregular satellites arou ...
, moons orbiting between 11 and 13
Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 28.3°.
Its orbital elements are as of January 2000. They are continuously changing due to
solar
Solar may refer to:
Astronomy
* Of or relating to the Sun
** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun
** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels")
** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
and planetary perturbations.
See also
*
Irregular satellites
*
Jupiter's moons in fiction
References
External links
Lysithea: Overviewb
NASA's Solar System Exploration(by
Scott S. Sheppard)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lysithea (Moon)
Himalia group
Moons of Jupiter
Irregular satellites
19380706
Discoveries by Seth B. Nicholson
Moons with a prograde orbit