The moon was named in 2019 after Ersa, the Greek goddess of dew, daughter of Zeus and Selene: Herse (Jupiter L) is also named for this goddess.[6] The name was suggested in a naming contest held by the Carnegie Institute on Twitter,[7] where more than twenty tweets suggested the name, including Aaron Quah (@8603103) who submitted the name first, StSauveur_MoonsProject (@StSauMoons) that are the 12th grade students of Saint Sauveur High School in Redon, France, the fifth grade at Hillside Traditional Academy in British Columbia, Canada (submitted on their behalf by @mrgrouchypants), and a 4-year-old child who sang a song about Ersa (submitted on his behalf by @Thoreson).[8]
It belongs to the prograde Himalia group which are given names ending in a.
Orbit
On average, Ersa orbits Jupiter at a semi-major axis of about 11,401,000 km (7,084,000 mi) at an inclination of about 29.1° with respect to the ecliptic. Like all of Jupiter's irregular moons, Ersa orbits far enough away that it is highly subject to gravitational perturbations by the Sun and other planets, which makes its orbit highly variable over time.[4]
References
^ abc"MPEC 2018-O18 : S/2018 J 1". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.