Fort Towson

S/2022 J 2 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 15 October 2022 using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 22 February 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.[1]

S/2022 J 2 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 and 0.3, and inclinations between 163 and 166°.[4] With a diameter of about 1 km (0.62 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.5, it is one of Jupiter's smallest known moons with confirmed orbits.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "MPEC 2023-D45 : S/2022 J 2". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b "MPEC 2024-D117 : S/2022 J 2". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". JPL Solar System Dynamics. NASA. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sheppard, Scott S. "Moons of Jupiter". Earth & Planets Laboratory. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 22 February 2023.