Thebe (moon)
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 Image of Thebe taken by the Galileo spacecraft on January 4, 2000. |
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| Discovery | |
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| Discovered by: | Stephen P. Synnott / Voyager 1 |
| Discovery date: | March 5, 1979 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Periapsis: | 218,000 km (0.00146 AU) |
| Apoapsis: | 226,000 km (0.00151 AU) |
| Mean radius of orbit: | 221,900 km (0.001483 AU) |
| Orbital circumference: | 1,394,000 km (0.009 AU) |
| Eccentricity: | 0.0177 |
| Orbital period: | 0.6745 d (16 h 11.3 min) |
| Avg. orbital speed: | 23.923 km/s |
| Max. orbital speed: | 24.352 km/s |
| Min. orbital speed: | 23.505 km/s |
| Inclination: | 3.12° (to the ecliptic) 0.90° (to Jupiter's equator) |
| Satellite of: | Jupiter |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions: | 110×90 km |
| Mean radius: | 48 km |
| Surface area: | 33,500 km² |
| Volume: | ~470,000 km³ |
| Mass: | 1.5×1018 kg |
| Mean density: | 1.45 g/cm³ |
| Equatorial surface gravity: | ~0.040 m/s2 (0.004 g) |
| Escape velocity: | ~0.063 km/s |
| Rotation period: | synchronous |
| Rotation velocity at equator: | 21 km/h |
| Axial tilt: | zero |
| Albedo: | 0.047 |
| Temperature: | ~124 K |
Thebe (thee'-bee, IPA: [ˈθibi]; Greek Θήβη), or Jupiter XIV, is the fourth of Jupiter's known moons by distance from the planet. It was discovered by Voyager 1 on March 5, 1979 and was first given the temporary name S/1979 J 2. Later, it was found on images dating back to February 27, 1979. In 1983 it was officially named after the mythological nymph Thebe who was the daughter of the river god Asopus.
It is the outermost of the inner Jovian moons.
There appear to be at least three or four very large Theban impact craters (very large in the sense that each of these craters is roughly comparable in size to the radius of Thebe). Little else is known about this moon.
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Listed in increasing distance from Jupiter. Italics indicate ungrouped moons.
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| Amalthea group | Metis · Adrastea · Amalthea · Thebe |
| Galilean moons | Io · Europa · Ganymede · Callisto |
| Themisto | |
| Himalia group | Leda · Himalia · Lysithea · Elara · S/2000 J 11 |
| Carpo · S/2003 J 12 | |
| Ananke group | Ananke · Praxidike · Harpalyke · Iocaste · Euanthe · Thyone (core) Euporie · S/2003 J 3 · S/2003 J 18 · Thelxinoe · Helike · Orthosie · S/2003 J 16 · Hermippe · Mneme · S/2003 J 15 (peripheral) |
| Carme group | S/2003 J 17 · S/2003 J 10 · Pasithee · Chaldene · Arche · Isonoe · Erinome · Kale · Aitne · Taygete · S/2003 J 9 · Carme · S/2003 J 5 · S/2003 J 19 · Kalyke · Eukelade · Kallichore |
| Pasiphaë group | Eurydome · S/2003 J 23 · Hegemone · Pasiphaë · Sponde · Cyllene · Megaclite · S/2003 J 4 · Callirrhoe · Sinope · Autonoe · Aoede · Kore |
| S/2003 J 2 | |
