Leda (moon)

There is also an asteroid named 38 Leda.

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Leda

Discovery
Discovered by	Charles T. Kowal
Discovery date	September 11, 1974
Orbital characteristics
Mean orbit radius	11,160,000 km
Eccentricity	0.16
Orbital period (sidereal)	240.92 d (0.654 a)
Average orbital speed	3.4 km/s
Inclination	27.46° (to the ecliptic) 29.01° (to Jupiter's equator)
Satellite of	Jupiter
Physical characteristics
Mean radius	10 km
Surface area	~1250 km²
Volume	~4200 km³
Mass	1.1×1016 kg
Mean density	2.6 g/cm³ (assumed)
Surface gravity	~0.0073 m/s2 (0.001 g)
Escape velocity	~0.012 km/s
Albedo	0.04 (assumed)
Temperature	~124 K
Apparent magnitude	20.2

Leda (lee'-də, /ˈliːdə/; Greek Λήδα), or Jupiter XIII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, after three nights' worth of photographic plates had been taken (September 11 through 13; Leda appears on all of them). It was named after Leda, who was a lover of Zeus, the Greek equivalent of Jupiter (who came to her in the form of a swan). Kowal suggested the name and the IAU endorsed it in 1975.

Leda belongs to the Himalia group, five moons orbiting between 11 and 13 Gm from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°. The orbital elements given here are as of January 2000, but they are continuously changing due to Solar and planetary perturbations.

See also

• Irregular satellites
• Jupiter's moons in fiction

External links

• Leda Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• David Jewitt pages
• Scott Sheppard pages