| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
| Discovery date | 2003 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter XLII |
| Pronunciation | /θɛlkˈsɪnoʊ.iː/[1] |
Named after | Θελξινόη Thelxĭnoē |
| S/2003 J 22 | |
| Adjectives | Thelxinoean /ˌθɛlksɪnoʊˈiːən/ |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| 21162000 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.221 |
| −628.1 days | |
| 194.0° | |
| Inclination | 151.4° |
| 206.2° | |
| 179.8° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Ananke group |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 2 km | |
| 23.5 | |
Thelxinoe /θɛlkˈsɪnoʊ.iː/, also known as Jupiter XLII, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2004 from pictures taken in 2003, and originally received the temporary designation S/2003 J 22.[3][4]
Thelxinoe is about 2 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 20,454 Mm in 597.607 days, at an inclination of 151° to the ecliptic (153° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.2685.
It was named in March 2005 after Thelxinoe, one of the four original Muses according to some Greek writers, and a daughter of Zeus (Jupiter) by Mnemosyne.[5]
Thelxinoe belongs to the Ananke group, retrograde irregular moons that orbit Jupiter between 19.3 and 22.7 Gm, at inclinations of roughly 150°.