Kale (moon)
Kale or Jupiter XXXVII, is a non-spherical moon of Jupiter. It was found in 2001 by astronomers at the University of Hawaii, and was originally designated as S/2001 J 8.[1][2]
Kale is about 2 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 22,409,000 km in 685.324 days, at an orbital inclination of 165° to the ecliptic (166° to Jupiter's equator), with an eccentricity of 0.2011.
It was named in August 2003[3] after one of the Charites (Greek Χάριτες, Latin Gratiae, "Graces"), daughters of Zeus (Jupiter). Kale is the spouse of Hephaestus according to some authors (although most have Aphrodite play that role).
It belongs to the Carme group, made up of non-spherical retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at a distance ranging between 23,000,000 and 24,000,000 km and at an inclination of about 165°.
References
- ↑ IAUC 7900: Satellites of Jupiter 2002 May 16 (discovery)
- ↑ MPEC 2002-J54: Eleven New Satellites of Jupiter 2002 May 15 (discovery and ephemeris)
- ↑ IAUC 8177: Satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus 2003 August 8 (naming the moon)