Sinope (moon)
 |
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. B. Nicholson |
| Discovery date | July 21, 1914 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Periapsis | 18,237,600 km |
| Apoapsis | 30,191,200 km |
|
Mean orbit radius
|
23,540,000 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.25 |
| 724.1 d (1.95 a) | |
|
Average orbital speed
|
2.252 km/s |
| Inclination | 128.11° (to the ecliptic) 153.12° (to Jupiter's equator) |
| Satellite of | Jupiter |
| Physical characteristics | |
|
Mean radius
|
~19 km |
| Volume | ~28,700 km3 |
| Mass | 7.5×1016kg |
|
Mean density
|
2.6 g/cm3 (assumed) |
| 0.014 m/s2 (0.001 g) | |
| ~0.023 km/s | |
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) |
| Temperature | ~124 K |
Sinope (/sᵻˈnoʊpiː/ sə-NOH-pee;Greek: Σινώπη) is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Lick Observatory in 1914, and is named after Sinope of Greek mythology.
Sinope did not receive its present name until 1975; before then, it was simply known as Jupiter IX. It was sometimes called "Hades" between 1955 and 1975.
Sinope was the outermost known moon of Jupiter until the discovery of Megaclite in 2000. The most distant moon of Jupiter now known is S/2003 J 2.
Sinope orbits Jupiter on a high eccentricity and high inclination retrograde orbit. The orbital elements are as of January 2000. They are continuously changing due to solar and planetary perturbations. It is often believed to belong to the Pasiphae group. However, given its mean inclination and different colour, Sinope could be also an independent object, captured independently, unrelated to the collision and break-up at the origin of the group. The diagram illustrates Sinope's orbital elements in relation to other satellites of the group.
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