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Discovery images of Thyone by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in December 2001 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard et al. |
| Discovery site | Mauna Kea Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 December 2001 |
| Designations | |
Designation | Jupiter XXIX |
| Pronunciation | /θaɪˈoʊniː/[2] |
| Named after | Θυώνη Thyōnē |
| S/2001 J 2 | |
| Adjectives | Thyonean /ˌθaɪəˈniːən/[3] |
| Orbital characteristics [5] | |
| 20940000 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.229 |
| Orbital period | −603.58 days[4] |
| Mean anomaly | 26.6° |
| Inclination | 148.5° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 243.0° |
| 89.1° | |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Group | Ananke group |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mean diameter | 4 km |
| Apparent magnitude | 22.3 |
Thyone /θaɪˈoʊniː/, also known as Jupiter XXIX, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2001, and given the temporary designation S/2001 J 2.[6][1]
Thyone is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 21,605,000 kilometres in 603.58 days, at an inclination of 147.28° to the ecliptic (146.93° to Jupiter's equator) with an eccentricity of 0.2526. Its average orbital speed is 2.43 km/s.
It was named in August 2003 after Thyone, better known as Semele, mother of Dionysus in Greek mythology.[7]
Thyone belongs to the Ananke group, retrograde irregular moons which orbit Jupiter between 19.3 and 22.7 million kilometres, at inclinations of roughly 150°.
