Pasiphae (moon)

Not to be confused with Pasithee (moon).

Pasiphae
Pasiphae photographed by the Haute-Provence Observatory in August 1998
Discovery[1]
Discovered byPhilibert J. Melotte
Discovery siteRoyal Observatory, Greenwich
Discovery date27 January 1908
Designations
Designation
Jupiter VIII
Pronunciation/pəˈsɪfeɪ.iː/[2][3]
Named after
Πασιφάη Pāsiphaē
1908 CJ
AdjectivesPasiphaëan /ˌpæsɪfeɪˈiːən/[4]
Orbital characteristics[5]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Observation arc110.34 yr (40,303 days)
0.1551422 AU (23,208,940 km)
Eccentricity0.6110162
–722.34 d
259.25505°
0° 29m 54.18s / day
Inclination153.40903° (to ecliptic)
19.11682°
241.59647°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupPasiphae group
Physical characteristics
57.8±0.8 km[6]
Mass1.72×1017 kg (calculated)
Mean density
1.70 g/cm3 (assumed)[7]
Albedo0.044±0.006[6]
16.9[8]
10.1[5]

Pasiphae /pəˈsɪfeɪ.iː/, formerly spelled Pasiphaë,[9] is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1908 by Philibert Jacques Melotte[1][10] and later named after the mythological Pasiphaë, wife of Minos and mother of the Minotaur from Greek legend.

The moon was first spotted on a plate taken at the Royal Greenwich Observatory on the night of 28 February 1908. Inspection of previous plates found it as far back as January 27. It received the provisional designation 1908 CJ, as it was not clear whether it was an asteroid or a moon of Jupiter. The recognition of the latter case came by April 10.[11]

Pasiphae did not receive its present name until 1975;[12] before then, it was simply known as Jupiter VIII. It was sometimes called "Poseidon"[13] between 1955 and 1975.

  1. ^ a b Melotte, P. J. (1908). "Note on the Newly Discovered Eighth Satellite of Jupiter, Photographed at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 68 (6): 456–457. Bibcode:1908MNRAS..68..456.. doi:10.1093/mnras/68.6.456.
  2. ^ Noah Webster (1884). A Practical Dictionary of the English Language.
  3. ^ "Pasiphae". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  4. ^ Laurent Milesi (2003). James Joyce and the difference of language. p. 149.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MPC111777 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Grav2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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. ^ Cite error: The named reference SheppardMoons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Planetary Names: Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers".
  10. ^ Perrine, C. D.; Perrine, C. D. (June 1908). "Recent Observations of the Moving Object Near Jupiter, Discovered at Greenwich by Mr. J. Melotte". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 20 (120): 184–185. Bibcode:1908PASP...20..184M. doi:10.1086/121815.
  11. ^ Cowell, P. H. (1908). "Note on the Discovery of a Moving Object Near Jupiter". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 68: 373. Bibcode:1908MNRAS..68..373.. doi:10.1093/mnras/68.5.373.
  12. ^ IAUC 2846: Satellites of Jupiter 7 October 1974 (naming the moon)
  13. ^ Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia; Katherine Haramundanis (1970). Introduction to Astronomy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-134-78107-4.