Discovered 25 November 2000 | Orbits Jupiter | |
Discoverers Yanga R. Fernández, Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt Similar Scott S Sheppard discoveries, Jupiter moons, Other celestial objects | ||
Taygete (/teɪˈɪdʒətiː/ tay-IJ-ə-tee; Greek: Ταϋγέτη), also known as Jupiter XX, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard, et al. in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 J 9.
Taygete is about 5 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 22,439 Mm in 686.675 days, at an inclination of 165° to the ecliptic (163° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.3678.
It was named in October 2002 after Taygete, one of the Pleiades, daughter of the Titan Atlas and mother of Lacedaemon by Zeus (Jupiter).
It belongs 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°.