Leda (moon)

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][9] It was named after Leda, who was raped[10] 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.[11]

Leda

Discovery image of Leda taken by the Palomar Observatory in 1974
Discovery [1]
Discovered by	Charles T. Kowal
Discovery site	Palomar Observatory
Discovery date	11 September 1974
Designations
Designation	Jupiter XIII
Pronunciation	/ˈliːdə/[2]
Named after	Λήδα Lēdā
Adjectives	Ledian /ˈliːdiən/,[3] Ledean /ˈliːdiən/[4] or /liːˈdiːən/[5]
Orbital characteristics [6]
Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5)
Observation arc	42.60 yr (15,561 days)
Semi-major axis	0.0746988 AU (11,174,780 km)
Eccentricity	0.1628287
Orbital period	+241.33 d
Mean anomaly	201.37181°
Mean motion	1° 29^m 30.204^s / day
Inclination	28.41392° (to ecliptic)
Longitude of ascending node	194.94309°
Argument of perihelion	311.19223°
Satellite of	Jupiter
Group	Himalia group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	21.5±1.7 km[7]
Albedo	0.034±0.006[7]
Apparent magnitude	20.2[8]
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.7[6]

Leda belongs to the Himalia group, five moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°.[12] The orbital elements given here are as of January 2000, 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

See also

• Jupiter's moons in fiction

References

1. Kowal, C. T.; Aksnes, K.; Marsden, B. G.; Roemer, E. (1974). "Thirteenth satellite of Jupiter". Astronomical Journal. 80: 460–464. Bibcode:1975AJ.....80..460K. doi:10.1086/111766.
2. "Leda". Lexico UK Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
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. "M.P.C. 104797" (PDF). Minor Planet Circular. Minor Planet Center. 10 May 2018.
7. Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, J. R.; Nugent, C. R.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (August 2015). "NEOWISE: Observations of the Irregular Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 809 (1): 9. Bibcode:2015ApJ...809....3G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/1/3. S2CID 5834661. 3.
8. Sheppard, Scott. "Scott S. Sheppard - Jupiter Moons". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
9. Brian G. Marsden (20 September 1974). "IAUC 2702: Probable New Satellite of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union.
10. Leda and the Swan
11. Marsden, Brian G. (7 October 1975). "Satellites of Jupiter". International Astronomical Union.
12. 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.

External links

• Leda Overview by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• David Jewitt pages
• Jupiter's Known Satellites (by Scott S. Sheppard)