Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Leda (moon)
| Discovery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovered by | Charles Kowal | ||||||
| Discovered in | 1974 September 11 | ||||||
| Orbital characteristics | |||||||
| Mean radius | ~11,094,000 km | ||||||
| Eccentricity | ~0.15 | ||||||
| Orbital period | ~240.5d | ||||||
| Inclination | 1.5 - 50.6° | ||||||
| Is a satellite of | Jupiter | ||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||
| Mean diameter | 20 km | ||||||
| Surface area | km2 | ||||||
| Mass | 1.09×1016 kg | ||||||
| Mean density | 2.6 g/cm3 | ||||||
| Surface gravity | 0.073 m/s2 | ||||||
| Rotation period | ? | ||||||
| Axial tilt | ?° | ||||||
| Albedo | |||||||
| Surface temp. |
| ||||||
| Atmospheric pressure | 0 kPa | ||||||
Leda (lee'-da, IPA , Greek Λήδα) is a satellite of Jupiter that was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, right after three nights' worth of photographic plates had been taken (September 11 through 13; Leda appears on all of them). It is named after the queen of Sparta who was the mother of Castor, Polydeuces, Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy (Zeus, in the form of a swan, was the father). It is also designated as Jupiter XIII.
Leda belongs to the Himalia group, five moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°.
Not to be confused with the asteroid 38 Leda.
External links
Last updated: 07-16-2005 20:46:54
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details