Leda (moon)
Outer moon of Jupiter / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the main belt asteroid, see 38 Leda.
Leda /ˈliːdə/, also known as Jupiter XIII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, after three nights' worth of photographic plates had been taken (September 11 through 13; Leda appears on all of them).[1][9] It was named after Leda, who was raped[10] by Zeus, the Greek equivalent of Jupiter (who came to her in the form of a swan). Kowal suggested the name and the IAU endorsed it in 1975.[11]
Quick Facts Discovery, Discovered by ...
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Charles T. Kowal |
Discovery site | Palomar Observatory |
Discovery date | 14 September 1974 |
Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter XIII |
Pronunciation | /ˈliːdə/[2] |
Named after | Λήδα Lēdā |
Adjectives | Ledian /ˈliːdiən/,[3] Ledean /ˈliːdiən/[4] or /liːˈdiːən/[5] |
Orbital characteristics [6] | |
Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5) | |
Observation arc | 42.60 yr (15,561 days) |
0.0748405 AU (11,195,980 km) | |
Eccentricity | 0.1648788 |
+242.02 d | |
137.02571° | |
1° 29m 14.953s / day | |
Inclination | 27.63631° (to ecliptic) |
190.18497° | |
312.92965° | |
Satellite of | Jupiter |
Group | Himalia group |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 21.5±1.7 km[7] |
Albedo | 0.034±0.006[7] |
20.2[8] | |
12.7[6] | |
Close
Leda belongs to the Himalia group, moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°.[12] The orbital elements given here are as of January 2021, but they are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.