S/2016 J 4 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 9 March 2016, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 24 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.[1]

S/2016 J 4 is part of the Pasiphae group, a dispersed cluster of distant retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Pasiphae at semi-major axes between 22–25 million km (14–16 million mi), orbital eccentricities between 0.2–0.6, and inclinations between 140–160°.[3] It has a diameter of about 1 km (0.62 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.3, making it one of Jupiter's smallest known moons.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "MPEC 2023-B96 : S/2016 J 4". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. Minor Planet Center. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". JPL Solar System Dynamics. NASA. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Sheppard, Scott S. "Moons of Jupiter". Earth & Planets Laboratory. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 25 January 2023.