Leda (moon)

For the main belt asteroid, see 38 Leda.

Leda
Discovery image of Leda taken by the Palomar Observatory in 1974
Discovery[1]
Discovered byCharles T. Kowal
Discovery sitePalomar Observatory
Discovery date14 September 1974
Designations
Designation
Jupiter XIII
Pronunciation/ˈliːdə/[2]
Named after
Λήδα Lēdā
AdjectivesLedian /ˈliːdiən/,[3] Ledean /ˈliːdiən/[4] or /liːˈdiːən/[5]
Orbital characteristics[6]
Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5)
Observation arc42.60 yr (15,561 days)
0.0748405 AU (11,195,980 km)
Eccentricity0.1648788
+242.02 d
137.02571°
1° 29m 14.953s / day
Inclination27.63631° (to ecliptic)
190.18497°
312.92965°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupHimalia group
Physical characteristics
21.5±1.7 km[7]
Albedo0.034±0.006[7]
Spectral type
B–V = 0.66 ± 0.01, V–R = 0.43 ± 0.01[8]
20.2[9]
12.7[6]

Leda /ˈliːdə/, also known as Jupiter XIII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, after three nights' worth of photographic plates had been taken (September 11 through 13; Leda appears on all of them).[1][10] It was named after Leda, who was raped[11] by Zeus, the Greek equivalent of Jupiter (who came to her in the form of a swan). Kowal suggested the name and the IAU endorsed it in 1975.[12]

Leda belongs to the Himalia group, moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°.[13] The orbital elements given here are as of January 2021, but they are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

Single-exposure image of Leda by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft in 2010
  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Kowal1974 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Leda". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021.
  3. ^ Ken Monteith (2007) Yeats and theosophy, p. 10
  4. ^ Wit Pietrzak (2011) Myth, Language and Tradition: A Study of Yeats, Stevens, and Eliot in the Context of Heidegger's Search for Being, p. 70–72
  5. ^ R.W. Chapman (1939) Adjectives from Proper Names, p. 55
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MPC128893 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Grav2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Graykowski, Ariel; Jewitt, David (5 April 2018). "Colors and Shapes of the Irregular Planetary Satellites". The Astronomical Journal. 155 (4): 184. arXiv:1803.01907. Bibcode:2018AJ....155..184G. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aab49b. ISSN 1538-3881.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference SheppardMoons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Brian G. Marsden (20 September 1974). "IAUC 2702: Probable New Satellite of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union.
  11. ^ Leda and the Swan
  12. ^ Marsden, Brian G. (7 October 1975). "Satellites of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union.
  13. ^ Jacobson, R. A. (2000). "The orbits of outer Jovian satellites" (PDF). Astronomical Journal. 120 (5): 2679–2686. Bibcode:2000AJ....120.2679J. doi:10.1086/316817. S2CID 120372170.