S/2011 J 3

S/2011 J 3
Discovery
Discovered by	Scott S. Sheppard
Discovery site	Las Campanas Obs.
Discovery date	27 September 2011
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 9 August 2022 (JD 2459800.5)
Observation arc	10.98 yr (4,009 d)
Semi-major axis	0.0788592 AU (11,797,170 km)
Eccentricity	0.1757518
Orbital period (sidereal)	+261.77 days
Mean anomaly	215.57916°
Mean motion	1° 22m 30.884s / day
Inclination	28.65923° (to ecliptic)
Longitude of ascending node	97.75374°
Argument of perihelion	222.10770°
Satellite of	Jupiter
Group	Himalia group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	≈3 km
Albedo	0.04 (assumed)
Apparent magnitude	23.1
Absolute magnitude (H)	16.3

S/2011 J 3 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 27 September 2011, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center 11 years later on 20 December 2022, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.^[1]

S/2011 J 3 is part of the Himalia group, a tight cluster of prograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Himalia at semi-major axes between 11–12 million km (6.8–7.5 million mi) and inclinations between 26–31°.^[3] With an estimated diameter of 3 km (1.9 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 16.3, it is among the smallest known members of the Himalia group.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "MPEC 2022-Y69 : S/2011 J 3". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
^ "Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". JPL Solar System Dynamics. NASA. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Sheppard, Scott S. "Moons of Jupiter". Earth & Planets Laboratory. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 20 December 2022.