 Discovery images of Thyone by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in December 2001 | |
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 December 2001 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter XXIX |
| Pronunciation | /θaɪˈoʊniː/ [2] |
Named after | Θυώνη Thyōnē |
| S/2001 J 2 | |
| Adjectives | Thyonean /ˌθaɪəˈniːən/ [3] |
| Orbital characteristics [4] | |
| 20940000 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.229 |
| −603.58 days [5] | |
| 26.6° | |
| Inclination | 148.5° |
| 243.0° | |
| 89.1° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Ananke group |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 4 km | |
Spectral type | B–V = 0.71 ± 0.06, V–R = 0.45 ± 0.04 [6] |
| 22.3 | |
Thyone /θaɪˈoʊniː/ , also known as Jupiter XXIX, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2001, and given the temporary designation S/2001 J 2. [7] [1]
Thyone is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 21,605,000 kilometres in 603.58 days, at an inclination of 147.28° to the ecliptic (146.93° to Jupiter's equator) with an eccentricity of 0.2526. Its average orbital speed is 2.43 km/s.
It was named in August 2003 after Thyone, better known as Semele, mother of Dionysus in Greek mythology. [8]
Thyone belongs to the Ananke group, retrograde irregular moons which orbit Jupiter between 19.3 and 22.7 million kilometres, at inclinations of roughly 150°.
