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Ananke (moon)

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Discovered by
  
S. B. Nicholson

Periapsis
  
12,567,000 km

Mean orbit radius
  
21,280,000 km

Discovered
  
28 September 1951

Orbits
  
Discovery date
  
September 28, 1951

Apoapsis
  
29,063,500 km

Eccentricity
  
0.24

Mean radius
  
14,000 m

Discoverer
  
Ananke (moon) httpsjumkdeastronomieimganankejpg

Similar
  
Seth Barnes Nicholson discoveries, Jupiter moons, Other celestial objects

Ananke (/əˈnæŋk/ ə-NANG-kee; Greek: Ανάγκη) is a retrograde irregular moon of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in 1951 and is named after the mythological Ananke, the personification of Necessity, and the mother of the Moirai by Zeus. The adjectival form of the name is Anankean.

Contents

Ananke did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter XII. It was sometimes called "Adrastea" between 1955 and 1975 (Adrastea is now the name of another satellite of Jupiter).

Ananke gives its name to the Ananke group, retrograde irregular moons which orbit Jupiter between 19.3 and 22.7 Gm, at inclinations of roughly 150°.

Orbit

Ananke orbits Jupiter on a high eccentricity and high inclination retrograde orbit. Eight irregular satellites orbiting Jupiter have been discovered since 2000 following similar orbits. The orbital elements are as of January 2000. They are continuously changing due to Solar and planetary perturbations. The diagram illustrates Ananke's orbit in relation to other retrograde irregular satellites of Jupiter. The eccentricity of selected orbits is represented by the yellow segments (extending from the pericentre to the apocentre). The outermost regular satellite Callisto is located for reference.

Given these orbital elements and the physical characteristics known so far, Ananke is thought to be the largest remnant of an original break-up forming the Ananke group.

Physical characteristics

In the visible spectrum, Ananke appears neutral to light-red (colour indices B-V=0.90 V-R=0.38).

The infrared spectrum is similar to P-type asteroids but with a possible indication of water.

References

Ananke (moon) Wikipedia


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