Lysithea

 

1. Discovery: Lysithea was discovered on July 6, 1938, by the American astronomer Seth Barnes Nicholson at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California. Its discovery predated the use of spacecraft to explore the outer planets, so our knowledge of Lysithea is primarily based on telescopic observations.

2. Physical Characteristics: Lysithea is one of the smaller moons of Jupiter. It is an irregularly shaped moon and, like many of Jupiter's irregular moons, is not spherical. The exact size and composition of Lysithea are not well-known, but it is estimated to have a diameter of approximately 36 kilometers (about 22 miles).

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

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

5. Name Origin: Lysithea is named after a character from Greek mythology. In some versions of the myth, Lysithea is one of Zeus's lovers, and she bore him a child.

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

Like many of Jupiter's irregular moons, Lysithea contributes to our understanding of the dynamics and gravitational interactions within Jupiter's moon system.

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