Himalia (moon)
Low-resolution image of Himalia from Cassini, December 2000 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Charles D. Perrine |
| Discovery site | Lick Observatory |
| Discovery date | 3 December 1904 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter VI |
| Pronunciation | /hɪˈmeɪliə/ or /hɪˈmɑːliə/ |
Named after | Ἱμαλία Himalia |
| Adjectives | Himalian |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Observation arc | 114.25 yr (41,728 days) |
| 0.0761287 AU (11,388,690 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1537860 |
| +248.29 d | |
| 94.30785° | |
| 1° 26m 59.616s / day | |
| Inclination | 29.90917° (to the ecliptic) |
| 44.99935° | |
| 21.60643° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Himalia group |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 205.6 × 141.3 km (occultation, projected) (150 × 120) ± 20 km (Cassini estimate) |
| 139.6±1.7 km 170±20 km | |
| Mass | (4.2±0.6)×1018 kg (1.9–4.2)×1018 kg |
Mean density | 3.33±0.47 g/cm3 (assuming radius 67 km) 1.63 g/cm3 (assuming radius 85 km) |
| 7.7819±0.0005 h | |
| Albedo | 0.057±0.008 0.05±0.01 |
Spectral type | C |
| 14.6 | |
| 7.9 | |
Himalia (/hɪˈmeɪliə, hɪˈmɑːliə/), also known as Jupiter VI, is the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter. With a diameter of around 140 km (90 mi), it is the sixth largest Jovian satellite, after the four Galilean moons and Amalthea. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory on 3 December 1904 and is named after the nymph Himalia, who bore three sons of Zeus (the Greek equivalent of Jupiter). It is the largest member of the Himalia group, a group of moons that orbit in the prograde direction around Jupiter, likely a collisional family originating from a captured asteroid.