S/2003 J 24

Last updated
S/2003 J 24
Discovery
Discovery dateFebruary 5, 2003 (announced 2021)
Orbital characteristics
Observation arc 21 years
2024-12-03 (last obs)
23.088 million km (14.346 million mi)
Eccentricity 0.25
Satellite of Jupiter
Group Carme group
Physical characteristics
3 km (2 mi) (est.)
Albedo 0.04 (est.)
23.6
16.65 (90 obs) [1]

    S/2003 J 24 (temporarily designated EJc0061) is a moon of Jupiter, discovered by Scott S. Sheppard et al. in 2003. It was independently found by amateur astronomer Kai Ly, who reported it on June 30, 2021. [2] [3] It was formally announced on 15 November 2021 in the MPEC. [4]

    Ly had previously recovered four "lost" moons of Jupiter in 2020: S/2003 J 23, S/2003 J 12, S/2003 J 4, and S/2003 J 2. [5]

    Based on 90 observations with an absolute magnitude (H) of 16.7, [1] the moon is about 2–3 km in diameter.

    S/2003 J 24 orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 23,088,000 km (0.15433 AU) in 715.4 days, at an inclination of 162° to the ecliptic, in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.25.

    It belongs to the Carme group, made up of irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at a distance ranging between 23 and 24 million km and at an inclination of about 165°.

    References

    1. 1 2 MPC Natural Satellites (Select: Orbital Elements)
    2. ↑ Kindy, David (July 22, 2021), "Amateur Astronomer Discovers New Moon Orbiting Jupiter", Smithsonian
    3. ↑ Hecht, Jeff (July 8, 2021), "Amateur Astronomer Discovers New Moon of Jupiter", Sky and Telescope
    4. ↑ "MPEC 2021-V333 : S/2003 J 24". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
    5. ↑ Hecht, Jeff (2021-01-11). "Amateur Astronomer Finds 'Lost' Moons of Jupiter". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 2021-07-23.