Dactyl (moon)

Dactyl
Galileo image of Dactyl
Discovery
Discovery dateFebruary 17, 1994
Designations
Designation
Dactyl (Ida I)
Named after
dactyls

Dactyl (/ˈdæktɪl/ DAK-til; formally (243) Ida I Dactyl) is a tiny asteroid moon 1,200 by 1,400 by 1,600 m (3,900 by 4,600 by 5,200 ft), in size) that orbits 243 Ida, a main-belt asteroid. It was imaged by the Galileo spacecraft on August 28, 1993; Dactyl was discovered while examining the delayed image downloads from Galileo on February 17, 1994. It was provisionally designated S/1993 (243) 1.[1] The satellite was named after the mythical creatures called dactyls, who, according to Greek mythology, lived on Mount Ida.[2]

  1. ^ Clarke, Aubrey (August 28, 2021). "NASA Galileo Spacecraft Continues to Fulfill Many Tasks After Passing by Asteroid Ida 28 Years Ago". The Space Times.
  2. ^ "In Depth | 243 Ida". NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved 2022-08-11.