| Thyone | |
|---|---|
|
Planet of Origin |
|
|
Discoverers |
Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewett, and Jan T. Kleyna |
|
Date of Discovery |
December 11, 2001 |
|
Place of Discovery |
Mauna Kea Observatory |
|
Surface Color |
Possibly dark yellowish grey due to it being an Ananke grouped moon |
|
Alternate Name(s) |
Jupiter XXIX |
Thyone is a retrograde irregular-shaped satellite belonging to the outer planet of Jupiter. It was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewett, and Jan T. Kleyna on December 11, 2001 at the Mauna Kea Observatory. It belongs to the Ananke group, a group of retrograde irregular satellites with Ananke being the largest of the group.
Formation
Thyone formed from the remains of the formation of the Ananke group. When Ananke suffered numerous collisions after being pulled into Jupiter's gravitational pull, one of the pieces became the moon now known as Thyone.
Description
Surface
Little is known about Thyone's surface, yet what we assume is that there a mountainous areas near the western and eastern hemispheres. Since it is part of the Ananke moons, it is not impossible for it to possess craters and valleys near the equatorial center.
Non-Spherical Shape
None of the Ananke moons are massive enough to maintain hydrostatic equilibrium. Thyone is believed to possess this trait from its mother Ananke. Due to this, Thyone is not believed to contain an atmosphere since no gases or traces are believed to be around Thyone.
Naming
Thyone was once given a provisional moon name called S/2001 J 2, given the two since it is the second moon of the Ananke group. It was then given the name after the mother of Dionysos.