Discovered by S. B. Nicholson Mean orbit radius 23.4 million km Orbital period 702.28 d (1.9228 a) Discovered 30 July 1938 Discoverer Seth Barnes Nicholson | Discovery date July 30, 1938 Eccentricity 0.25 Average orbital speed 2.253 km/s Orbits Jupiter Discovery site Mount Wilson Observatory | |
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Similar Seth Barnes Nicholson discoveries, Jupiter moons, Other celestial objects | ||
Carme (/ˈkɑːrmiː/ KAR-mee; Greek: Κάρμη) is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in California in July 1938. It is named after the mythological Carme, mother by Zeus of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess.
Carme did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter XI. It was sometimes called "Pan" between 1955 and 1975 (Pan is now the name of a satellite of Saturn).
It gives its name to the Carme group, made up of irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at a distance ranging between 23 and 24 Gm and at an inclination of about 165°. Its orbital elements are as of January 2000. They are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.