S/2021 J 1

S/2021 J 1
Discovery[1]
Discovered byScott S. Sheppard
Discovery siteLas Campanas Obs.
Discovery date12 August 2021
Orbital characteristics[1][2]
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Observation arc1.06 yr (387 d)
0.1381519 AU (20,667,230 km)
Eccentricity0.2460574
–1.66 yr (–606.99 days)
312.94753°
0° 35m 35.137s / day
Inclination149.75284° (to ecliptic)
310.98434°
73.05108°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupAnanke group
Physical characteristics
≈1 km[3]
23.9[3]
17.3[1]

S/2021 J 1 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 12 August 2021, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 5 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.[1]

S/2021 J 1 is part of the Ananke group, a cluster of retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Ananke at semi-major axes between 19–22 million km (12–14 million mi), orbital eccentricities between 0.1–0.4, and inclinations between 139–155°.[3] It has a diameter of about 1 km (0.62 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.3, making it one of Jupiter's smallest known moons.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference MPEC-2023-A14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference jplsats-disc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference SheppardMoons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).