S/2021 J 6

S/2021 J 6 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David J. Tholen, and Chad Trujillo on 5 September 2021, using the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 20 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.^[1] The satellite has been found in precovery observations as early as 2 October 2010.^[1]

S/2021 J 6

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Scott S. Sheppard David J. Tholen Chad Trujillo
Discovery site	Mauna Kea Obs.
Discovery date	5 September 2021
Orbital characteristics[1][2]
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Observation arc	12.04 yr (4,396 d)
Earliest precovery date	2 October 2010
Semi-major axis	0.1566013 AU (23,427,220 km)
Eccentricity	0.3625334
Orbital period (sidereal)	–2.01 yr (–732.55 days)
Mean anomaly	77.36574°
Mean motion	0° 29m 29.162s / day
Inclination	166.49991° (to ecliptic)
Longitude of ascending node	172.60903°
Argument of perihelion	254.84930°
Satellite of	Jupiter
Group	Carme group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	≈1 km[3]
Apparent magnitude	23.9[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	17.3[1]

S/2021 J 6 is part of the Carme group, a tight cluster of retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Carme at semi-major axes between 22–24 million km (14–15 million mi), orbital eccentricities between 0.2–0.3, and inclinations between 163–166°.^[3] It has a diameter of about 1 km (0.62 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.3, making it one of Jupiter's smallest known moons.^[3]

References

1. "MPEC 2023-B50 : S/2021 J 6". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
2. "Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". JPL Solar System Dynamics. NASA. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
3. Sheppard, Scott S. "Moons of Jupiter". Earth & Planets Laboratory. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 10 January 2023.