Megaclite.space

Irregular moon of Jupiter (retrograde) · Outer Jovian system · ≈ 23.6 million km from Jupiter

Megaclite

Jupiter XIX · S/2000 J 8

A small retrograde moon whose name was misspelled at birth — and still is in some catalogues.

Key factsSpace book finder
Megaclite at a glance
Object typeIrregular, retrograde moon of Jupiter[1]
GroupPasiphae group (may be independent)[1]
DiscoveredNov. 25, 2000, Mauna Kea, Hawaii[2]
DiscoverersS. S. Sheppard, D. C. Jewitt, Y. R. Fernandez, E. A. Magnier[2]
NamedOctober 2002 — first spelled “Magaclite”, corrected November 2002[1]
Size≈ 5.4 km across (radius 2.7 km, assuming albedo 0.04)[2]
Mean distance≈ 23.6 million km from Jupiter[3]
Orbital period≈ 743 days[3]
Inclination≈ 150° (retrograde)[3]
Eccentricity≈ 0.42 — one of the more stretched orbits[3]

A spelling mistake at birth

When it was named in October 2002, the moon was initially given the erroneous spelling “Magaclite”. The error was corrected in November 2002, but some earlier research still used the wrong form.[1]

The old spelling lingers: when we checked JPL’s planetary satellite mean-elements table on 23 October 2026, Jupiter XIX was still listed as “Magaclite”.[3]

One of eleven found at once

Megaclite was discovered in November 2000, one of eleven new Jovian moons found by a University of Hawaiʻi team led by Scott S. Sheppard.[1] The survey used the 2.2 m UH88 telescope on Mauna Kea and automated computer algorithms to pick out faint moving moons.[4]

Orbit

Megaclite circles Jupiter backwards (retrograde) at an average of about 23.6 million km, once every 743 days.[3] With an eccentricity of about 0.42, its distance swings from roughly 13.7 to 33.6 million km.[3]

Jupiter Callisto (1.88 million km)Himalia (11.44 million km) farthest ≈ 33.6 million km closest ≈ 13.7 million km
Top-down orbit of Megaclite to scale, computed from JPL orbital elements (a ≈ 23.64 million km, e ≈ 0.421).[3] Callisto and Himalia orbits shown for comparison.[3] Mean orbital elements; the real orbit is tilted steeply and shifts over time, so this top-down view flattens it onto one plane.

Pasiphae group — or a loner?

Its orbit links it to the Pasiphae group, believed to be fragments of a captured body shattered by a collision.[2] Given its mean inclination and different colour, though, Megaclite could also be an independent object captured separately.[1]

The Pasiphae group is the most loosely clustered of Jupiter’s retrograde families, and a single-impact origin is not accepted by all studies.[5]

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How big?

NASA gives a mean radius of 2.7 km, assuming the surface reflects 4% of sunlight — so about 5.4 km across.[2] Most of its physical properties are unknown; Wikipedia gives about 6 km and a dark, light-red surface.[1]

Who was Megaclite?

In Greek mythology Megaclite was the mother, by Zeus, of Thebe and Locrus.[1] Like other retrograde moons of Jupiter, her name ends in “-e”.[4]

Read more

“Magaclite”: the moon with a typo

How a one-letter mistake in 2002 still echoes through research papers and catalogues.

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November 2000: eleven new moons of Jupiter

How a graduate student, a CCD camera and computer algorithms changed the count of Jupiter’s moons.

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Megaclite’s stretched, backward orbit

Why Megaclite’s distance from Jupiter swings by around 20 million km.

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Sources

  1. Megaclite — Wikipedia
  2. Megaclite — NASA Science
  3. Planetary Satellite Mean Elements — NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
  4. Moons of Jupiter — Wikipedia
  5. Pasiphae group — Wikipedia

Figures are rounded; where sources differ we note it. Spotted an error? Tell us.