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Carme (moon)

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Carme
Carme photographed by the Haute-Provence Observatory in December 1998
Discovery[1]
Discovered bySeth B. Nicholson
Discovery siteMt. Wilson Observatory
Discovery date30 July 1938
Designations
Designation
Jupiter XI
Pronunciation/ˈkɑːrmiː/[2][3]
Named after
Κάρμη Karmē
AdjectivesCarmean /kɑːrˈmiːən/[4]
Orbital characteristics[5]
Epoch 17 December 2020 (JD 2459200.5)
Observation arc82.02 yr (29,958 days)
0.1509370 AU (22,579,850 km)
Eccentricity0.2294925
–693.17 d
17.48241°
0° 31m 9.68s / day
Inclination163.53496° (to ecliptic)
209.94088°
133.45035°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupCarme group
Physical characteristics
46.7±0.9 km[6]
Mass8.69×1016 kg (calculated)
Mean density
1.63 g/cm3 (assumed)[7]
10.40±0.05 h[8]
6.48 h[9]
Albedo0.035±0.006[6]
Spectral type
D[6]
18.9[10]
10.5[5]

Carme /ˈkɑːrmiː/ is one of the largest irregular satellites of Jupiter.

Discovery and naming

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Carme observed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft in 2014

It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in California in July 1938.[1]

It is named after the mythological Carme, mother by Zeus of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess. Carme did not receive its present name until 1975;[11] before then, it was simply known as Jupiter XI. It was sometimes called "Pan"[12] between 1955 and 1975 (Pan is now the name of a satellite of Saturn).

Orbit

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Carme orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 22,579,859 km in 693.17 days, at an inclination of 165° to the ecliptic, in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.23. They are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations.

It gives its name to the Carme group, made up of retrograde irregular moons orbiting Jupiter at distances ranging between 22.7–23.5 million km, at an inclination of about 165°, and eccentricities between 0.24 and 0.28.

Physical characteristics

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With a diameter of 46.7±0.9 km (albedo 3.5%), it is the largest member of the Carme group and the fourth-largest irregular moon of Jupiter.[6]

Like the other members of the Carme group (except for Kalyke) it is light red in color (B−V=0.76, V−R=0.47), similar to D-type asteroids.[13]

Carme's spectral shape and absorption features are special and make it unique compared to other satellites.[14] It has a strong upturn in the ultraviolet range with a CN emission at 0.388 μm, possibly indicative of low-level cometary activity.[13][14] One study found that modelling its surface composition as 4% low-Fe serpentine and 96% kerogen provided a good match.[15] Another study suggested it was composed mainly of amorphous carbon, minnesotaite, and ilmenite.[14]

The rotation period was found to be approximately 10 hours and 24 min.[8] This was regarded by a later paper as uncertain due to the short observation periods.[16] Another group found a different possible rotation period of 6.48 hours.[9]

Origin

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Carme probably did not form near Jupiter but was captured by Jupiter later. Like the other members of the Carme group, which have similar orbits, Carme is probably the remnant of a broken, captured heliocentric asteroid.

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 Nicholson, S. B. (1938). "Two New Satellites of Jupiter". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 50 (297): 292–293. Bibcode:1938PASP...50..292N. doi:10.1086/124963. S2CID 120216615.
  2. ↑ Webster, Noah (1884). A Practical Dictionary of the English Language.
  3. ↑ "Carme". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  4. ↑ Yenne, Bill (1987). The Atlas of the Solar System.
  5. 1 2 "M.P.C. 127087" (PDF). Minor Planet Circular. Minor Planet Center. 17 November 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, J. R.; Nugent, C. R.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (August 2015). "NEOWISE: Observations of the Irregular Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 809 (1): 9. arXiv:1505.07820. Bibcode:2015ApJ...809....3G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/809/1/3. S2CID 5834661. 3.
  7. ↑ Chen, Zhenghan; Yang, Kun; Liu, Xiaodong (23 December 2023). ""Life" of dust originating from the irregular satellites of Jupiter". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 527 (4): 11327–11337. arXiv:2402.03680. doi:10.1093/mnras/stad3829. ISSN 0035-8711.
  8. 1 2 Luu, Jane (September 1991). "CCD photometry and spectroscopy of the outer Jovian satellites". Astronomical Journal. 102: 1213–1225. Bibcode:1991AJ....102.1213L. doi:10.1086/115949. ISSN 0004-6256.
  9. 1 2 Gomes-Júnior, Altair R.; Rafael, Sfair; Liberato, Luana; Francisco, Tiago; Lattari, Victor; do Rio, Grupo (2022). "The rotational periods of Jovian Irregular Satellites" (PDF). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Sheppard, Scott. "Scott S. Sheppard - Jupiter Moons". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  11. ↑ IAUC 2846: Satellites of Jupiter 1974 October 7 (naming the moon)
  12. ↑ Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia; Katherine Haramundanis (1970). Introduction to Astronomy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-478107-4.
  13. 1 2 Grav, Tommy; Holman, M. J.; Gladman, B. J.; Aksnes, K. (2003). "Photometric survey of the irregular satellites". Icarus. 166 (1): 33–45. arXiv:astro-ph/0301016. Bibcode:2003Icar..166...33G. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.07.005. S2CID 7793999.
  14. 1 2 3 Bhatt, M.; Reddy, V.; Schindler, K.; Cloutis, E.; Bhardwaj, A.; Corre, L. L.; Mann, P. (December 2017). "Composition of Jupiter irregular satellites sheds light on their origin". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 608: A67. arXiv:1710.06200. Bibcode:2017A&A...608A..67B. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201630361. ISSN 0004-6361. S2CID 73594513.
  15. ↑ Vilas, Faith; Hendrix, Amanda R. (1 February 2024). "Clues to the Origin of Jovian Outer Irregular Satellites from Reflectance Spectra". The Planetary Science Journal. 5 (2): 34. Bibcode:2024PSJ.....5...34V. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ad150b. ISSN 2632-3338. S2CID 267531422.
  16. ↑ Denk, Tilmann; Williams, David A.; Tosi, Federico; Bell III, James F.; Mottola, Stefano; de Pater, Imke; et al. (5 March 2026). "Io and the Minor Jovian Moons – Prospects for JUICE". Space Science Reviews. 222 (2) 27. Bibcode:2026SSRv..222...27D. doi:10.1007/s11214-025-01263-6.
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