Autonoe , also known as , is a
natural satellite
A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another natural satellite). Natural satellites are often colloquially referred to as ''moons ...
of
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandt ...
.
Autonoe was discovered by a team of astronomers from the
University of Hawaii
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
led by
Scott S. Sheppard in 2001, and given the temporary designation .
[MPEC 2002-J54: ''Eleven New Satellites of Jupiter''](_blank)
2002 May 15 (discovery and ephemeris)
Autonoe is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 24,264,000 km in 719.01 days. It orbits at an
inclination
Orbital inclination measures the tilt of an object's orbit around a celestial body. It is expressed as the angle between a Plane of reference, reference plane and the orbital plane or Axis of rotation, axis of direction of the orbiting object ...
of 151° to the
ecliptic
The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun. From the perspective of an observer on Earth, the Sun's movement around the celestial sphere over the course of a year traces out a path along the ecliptic agai ...
(150° to Jupiter's equator) in a
retrograde direction and with an
eccentricity
Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to:
* Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal"
Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics
* Off- center, in geometry
* Eccentricity (graph theory) of a ...
of 0.369.
It belongs to the
Pasiphae group The Pasiphae group is a group of retrograde irregular satellites of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Pasiphae and are thought to have a common origin.
Their semi-major axes (distances from Jupiter) range between 22.8 and 24.1 million km (th ...
, irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at distances ranging between 22.8 and 24.1 Gm, and with inclinations ranging between 144.5° and 158.3°.
Autonoe was named in August 2003 after the Greek mythological figure
Autonoë, conquest of
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...
(Jupiter), mother of the
Charites
In Greek mythology, the Charites ( ), singular ''Charis'', or Graces, were three or more goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, goodwill, and fertility. Hesiod names three – Aglaea ("Shining"), Euphrosyne ("Joy"), and Thalia ...
(Gracies), according to some authors.
USGS Astrogeology: Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature - Planetary Body Names and Discoverers
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Autonoe (Moon)
Pasiphae group
Moons of Jupiter
Irregular satellites
Discoveries by Scott S. Sheppard
Astronomical objects discovered in 2001
Moons with a retrograde orbit