Leda (moon)

:"There is also an asteroid named 38 Leda."---- Infobox Planet
name = Leda
bgcolour = #ffc0c0
discovery = yes


discoverer = Charles T. Kowal
discovered = September 11, 1974cite journal |last=Kowal |first=C. T. |coauthors=Aksnes, K.; Marsden, B. G.; and Roemer, E. |title=Thirteenth satellite of Jupiter |journal=Astronomical Journal |year=1974 |volume=80 |pages=pp. 460–464 |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu//full/seri/AJ.../0080//0000460.000.html |doi=10.1086/111766 ]
mean_orbit_radius = 11,160,000 kmcite journal |last=Jacobson |first=R. A. |authorlink=Robert A. Jacobson |title=The orbits of outer Jovian satellites |journal=Astronomical Journal |year=2000 |volume=120 |pages=2679 |doi=10.1086/316817]
eccentricity = 0.16
period = 240.92 d (0.654 a)
avg_speed = 3.4 km/s
inclination = 27.46° (to the ecliptic) 29.01° (to Jupiter's equator)
satellite_of = Jupiter
physical_characteristics = yes
mean_radius = 10 km
surface_area = ~1250 km²
volume = ~4200 km³
mass = 1.1e|16 kg
density = 2.6 g/cm³ (assumed)
surface_grav = ~0.0073 m/s² (0.001 g)
escape_velocity = ~0.012 km/s
albedo = 0.04 (assumed)
magnitude = 20.2 cite web|title=Leda Statistics|url=http://www.solarviews.com/eng/leda.htm|accessdate=2007-10-01]
single_temperature = ~124 K

Leda (pron-en|ˈliːdə respell|LEE|də, or as in Greek "Λήδα)," also known as nowrap|Jupiter XIII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, after three nights' worth of photographic plates had been taken (September 11 through 13; Leda appears on all of them). [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/02700/02702.html IAUC 2702: "Probable New Satellite of Jupiter"] 1974 September 20 (discovery)] It was named after Leda, who was a lover of Zeus, the Greek equivalent of Jupiter (who came to her in the form of a swan). Kowal suggested the name and the IAU endorsed it in 1975.cite journal| last=Marsden|first=B. G.|title=Satellites of Jupiter|journal=IAUC Circular |volume=2846|date=7 October 1974|url=http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/02800/02846.html]

Leda belongs to the Himalia group, five moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°. The orbital elements given here are as of January 2000, but they are continuously changing due to Solar and planetary perturbations.

ee also

*Irregular satellites
*Jupiter's moons in fiction

References

External links

* [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Jup_Leda Leda Profile] by [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov NASA's Solar System Exploration]
* [http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~jewitt/irregulars.html David Jewitt pages]
* [http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~sheppard/satellites/jupsatdata.html Scott Sheppard pages]