Valetudo (moon)

Valetudo /vælɪˈtjuːdoʊ/, also known as Jupiter LXII and originally known as S/2016 J 2, is a moon of Jupiter.[3][4] It was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and his team in data acquired by the 6.5-m Magellan-Baade telescope of the Las Campanas Observatory in 2016, but was not announced until 17 July 2018, via a Minor Planet Electronic Circular from the Minor Planet Center, which also reported the discovery of nine other Jupiter moons.[1] Besides data from Las Campanas, the original announcement also referred to data acquired through the 8.1-m Gemini North telescope — of the Mauna Kea Observatories — as well as the 4.0-m reflector of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.

Valetudo

Precovery images of Valetudo taken by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on 28 February 2003
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Scott S. Sheppard
Discovery site	Las Campanas Obs.
Discovery date	9 March 2016
Designations
Designation	Jupiter LXII
Pronunciation	/vælɪˈtjuːdoʊ/
Named after	Valētūdo
Alternative names	S/2016 J 2
Adjectives	Valetudian
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Observation arc	2.18 yr (798 d)
Semi-major axis	18,928,090 km (0.1265265 AU)
Eccentricity	0.2219283
Orbital period	1.46 yr (532.01 d)
Mean anomaly	201.41718°
Mean motion	0° 40^m 36.065^s / day
Inclination	34.01457° (to the ecliptic)
Longitude of ascending node	240.25920°
Argument of perihelion	116.83071°
Satellite of	Jupiter
Group	(own group)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	1 km[2]
Apparent magnitude	24.0[2]
Absolute magnitude (H)	16.9

Characteristics

Valetudo has a diameter of about 1 km (0.6 mi) and orbits Jupiter at a distance of about 19 million kilometres (12 million miles). Its orbital inclination is 34 degrees, and its orbital eccentricity is 0.222.[2] It has a prograde orbit which takes almost a year and a half to complete, but it crosses paths with several other moons that have retrograde orbits and may in the future collide with them.[5]

Name

The moon was provisionally designated as S/2016 J 2 until it received its name in 2018. The name Valetudo ('Health') was proposed for it as part of its announcement, after the Roman goddess of health and hygiene (a Latin translation of Greek Hygieia 'Health') and a great-granddaughter of the god Jupiter.[5] The name was approved by the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature on 3 October 2018.[6]

References

1. "MPEC 2018-O09 : S/2016 J 2". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
2. Sheppard, Scott S. "Moons of Jupiter". sites.google.com. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
3. Resnick, Brian. "The Jupiter Satellite and Moon Page". Vox. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
4. Grush, Loren. "Astronomers have found a new crop of moons around Jupiter, and one of them is a weirdo". The Verge. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
5. Strickland, Ashley. "12 new moons discovered around Jupiter". CNN International. CNN. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
6. USGS Astrogeology Science Center, Nomenclature News: Name Approved for Jovian Satellite: Valetudo