S/2003 J 4

S/2003 J 4 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2003.[1][2]

S/2003 J 4 is about 2 km in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 23,571 Mm in 739.294 days, at an inclination of 147° to the ecliptic (149° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.3003.

It belongs to the Pasiphae group, irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at distances ranging between 22.8 and 24.1 Gm, and with inclinations ranging between 144.5° and 158.3°.

This moon has not been seen since its discovery in 2003 and is currently considered lost.[3][4][5] Follow-up observations in 2018 are planned to secure its orbit.[6]

References

  1. ↑ IAUC 8087: Satellites of Jupiter 2003 March 4 (discovery)
  2. ↑ MPEC 2003-E11: S/2003 J 1, 2003 J 2, 2003 J 3, 2003 J 4, 2003 J 5, 2003 J 6, 2003 J 7 2003 March 4 (discovery and ephemeris)
  3. ↑ Beatty, Kelly (4 April 2012). "Outer-Planet Moons Found — and Lost". www.skyandtelescope.com. Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  4. ↑ Brozović, Marina; Jacobson, Robert A. (9 March 2017). "The Orbits of Jupiter's Irregular Satellites". The Astronomical Journal. 153 (4). doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa5e4d.
  5. ↑ Jacobson, B.; Brozović, M.; Gladman, B.; Alexandersen, M.; Nicholson, P. D.; Veillet, C. (28 September 2012). "Irregular Satellites of the Outer Planets: Orbital Uncertainties and Astrometric Recoveries in 2009–2011". The Astronomical Journal. 144 (5). doi:10.1088/0004-6256/144/5/132. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  6. ↑ Sheppard, Scott S. (2017). "New Moons of Jupiter Announced in 2017". home.dtm.ciw.edu. Retrieved 27 June 2017. We likely have all of the lost moons in our new observations from 2017, but to link them back to the remaining lost 2003 objects requires more observations a year later to confirm the linkages, which will not happen until early 2018. ... There are likely a few more new moons as well in our 2017 observations, but we need to reobserve them in 2018 to determine which of the discoveries are new and which are lost 2003 moons.
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