Carme (moon)

Carme

Carme photographed by the Haute-Provence Observatory in December 1998
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Seth B. Nicholson
Discovery site	Mt. Wilson Observatory
Discovery date	30 July 1938
Designations
Designation	Jupiter XI
Pronunciation	/ˈkɑːrmiː/[2][3]
Named after	Κάρμη Karmē
Adjectives	Carmean /kɑːrˈmiːən/[4]
Orbital characteristics[5]
Epoch 17 December 2020 (JD 2459200.5)
Observation arc	82.02 yr (29,958 days)
Semi-major axis	0.1509370 AU (22,579,850 km)
Eccentricity	0.2294925
Orbital period (sidereal)	–693.17 d
Mean anomaly	17.48241°
Mean motion	0° 31^m 9.68^s / day
Inclination	163.53496° (to ecliptic)
Longitude of ascending node	209.94088°
Argument of perihelion	133.45035°
Satellite of	Jupiter
Group	Carme group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	46.7±0.9 km[6]
Mass	8.69×10^16 kg (calculated)
Mean density	1.63 g/cm^3 (assumed)[7]
Synodic rotation period	10.40±0.05 h[8]
Albedo	0.035±0.006[6]
Spectral type	D[6]
Apparent magnitude	18.9[9]
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.5[5]

Carme /ˈkɑːrmiː/ is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in California in July 1938.^[1] It is named after the mythological Carme, mother by Zeus of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess.

History

Carme observed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft in 2014

Carme did not receive its present name until 1975;^[10] before then, it was simply known as Jupiter XI. It was sometimes called "Pan"^[11] between 1955 and 1975 (Pan is now the name of a satellite of Saturn).

It gives its name to the Carme group, made up of irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at a distance ranging between 23 and 24 Gm and at an inclination of about 165°. Its orbital elements are as of 17 December 2020.^[5] They are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

Properties

With a diameter of 46.7±0.9 km, it is the largest member of the Carme group and the fourth largest irregular moon of Jupiter.^[6] It is light red in color (B−V=0.76, V−R=0.47), similar to D-type asteroids and consistent with Taygete, but not Kalyke.^[12]

See also

• Irregular satellites
• Jupiter's moons in fiction

References

1. Nicholson, S. B. (1938). "Two New Satellites of Jupiter". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 50 (297): 292–293. Bibcode:1938PASP...50..292N. doi:10.1086/124963. S2CID 120216615.
2. Webster, Noah (1884). A Practical Dictionary of the English Language.
3. "Carme". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
4. Yenne, Bill (1987). The Atlas of the Solar System.
5. "M.P.C. 127087" (PDF). Minor Planet Circular. Minor Planet Center. 17 November 2019.
6. Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, J. R.; Nugent, C. R.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (August 2015). "NEOWISE: Observations of the Irregular Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 809 (1): 9. arXiv:1505.07820. Bibcode:2015ApJ...809....3G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/1/3. S2CID 5834661. 3.
7. Chen, Zhenghan; Yang, Kun; Liu, Xiaodong (23 December 2023). ""Life" of dust originating from the irregular satellites of Jupiter". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 527 (4): 11327–11337. arXiv:2402.03680. doi:10.1093/mnras/stad3829. ISSN 0035-8711.
8. Luu, Jane (September 1991). "CCD photometry and spectroscopy of the outer Jovian satellites". Astronomical Journal. 102: 1213–1225. Bibcode:1991AJ....102.1213L. doi:10.1086/115949. ISSN 0004-6256.
9. Sheppard, Scott. "Scott S. Sheppard - Jupiter Moons". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
10. IAUC 2846: Satellites of Jupiter 1974 October 7 (naming the moon)
11. Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia; Katherine Haramundanis (1970). Introduction to Astronomy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-478107-4.
12. Grav, Tommy; Holman, M. J.; Gladman, B. J.; Aksnes, K. (2003). "Photometric survey of the irregular satellites". Icarus. 166 (1): 33–45. arXiv:astro-ph/0301016. Bibcode:2003Icar..166...33G. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.07.005. S2CID 7793999.

External links

• Carme Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• David Jewitt pages
• Jupiter's Known Satellites (by Scott S. Sheppard)