Elara

 

1. Discovery: Elara was discovered on January 2, 1905, by the American astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory in California. It was the second moon of Jupiter to be discovered by Perrine, following his discovery of Himalia the previous year.

2. Physical Characteristics: Elara is considered one of the larger irregular moons of Jupiter. It has an irregular shape and is not spherical like the Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). Its size is estimated to be approximately 86 kilometers (about 53 miles) in diameter.

3. Orbit: Elara orbits Jupiter in a prograde motion, meaning it travels in the same direction as the planet's rotation. Its orbit is highly eccentric (elongated) and inclined, which is characteristic of irregular moons. Elara's orbital period, the time it takes to complete one orbit around Jupiter, is about 259 Earth days.

4. Group Membership: Elara is part of the "Himalia Group" of irregular moons, along with other moons like Himalia, Lysithea, and sometimes others. These moons share similar orbital characteristics and are believed to have a common origin.

5. Name Origin: Elara is named after a character from Greek mythology. In the myth, Elara was a mortal princess who was loved by Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. She was the mother of the giant Tityos.

6. Exploration: As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, Elara had not been visited by any spacecraft, and detailed information about its surface and composition was limited to observations from Earth-based telescopes.

Elara, like other irregular moons of Jupiter, plays a role in our understanding of the dynamics and gravitational interactions within Jupiter's moon system.

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