Taygete (Jupiter moon)

Discovery and name

Taygete was found by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii led by Scott S. Sheppard and colleagues. The discovery announcement used the provisional designation S/2000 J 9. The detection came from ground-based surveys that scanned Jupiter's environs for faint, fast-moving objects. The object's permanent name draws on classical myth, following the convention for Jovian satellites.

Physical characteristics

The moon is very small—about 5 kilometres in diameter—and is not spherical, indicating a low mass and a shape controlled by material strength rather than self-gravity. Like many small Jovian moons, its surface is expected to be dark and heavily cratered, similar to primitive asteroids. Its irregular shape and size suggest it is a fragment from a larger body or a captured object from the outer Solar System rather than a differentiated satellite.

Orbit and group

Taygete follows a distant, retrograde orbit around Jupiter. Key orbital parameters include an average distance of roughly 22,439,000 km and an orbital period of about 686.7 days. Its inclination is steeply inclined at about 165° to the ecliptic (approximately 163° relative to Jupiter's equator) and it has a notable orbital eccentricity of 0.3678.

• Distance from Jupiter: ~22,439,000 km
• Orbital period: ~686.675 days
• Inclination: ~165° to the ecliptic
• Eccentricity: 0.3678

Context and origin

Taygete is classed with other distant, retrograde Jovian satellites that share similar orbital inclinations and distances; such collections are commonly interpreted as fragments of larger parent bodies broken apart by collisions or the result of captured asteroids. Because it moves in a retrograde direction and has a high inclination, Taygete is grouped with Jupiter's irregular moons rather than the regular, closer satellites. Its properties are typical of small, dark outer moons thought to be remnants from the Solar System's early dynamical evolution.

Further reading and resources

For technical details and discovery credits see the discovery team's reports and follow-up observations. The moon's irregular nature is discussed in contexts that cover small-body capture and collisional families around giant planets. Useful entry points include summaries of irregular satellites, discovery papers from the University of Hawaii team, and catalogs of Jovian moons.

References and links: irregular satellite, University of Hawaii, Scott S. Sheppard, discovery 2000, ecliptic reference, orbital eccentricity.