Elara

Elara, otherwise known as Jupiter VII, is an irregular natural satellite of Jupiter that is located within the Himalia Group. It is the eighth largest moon of Jupiter, and the second largest irregular Jovian moon as well. Elara remained known as simply “Jupiter VII” until 70 years after its discovery in 1975, when it was officially named Elara by the IAU.
==Discovery==
Elara was discovered by Charles D. Perrine on January 5, 1905 within the Lick Observatory. The satellite was found within images taken by the Crossley Telescope, and its discovery was confirmed on February 21, 1905.
==Appearance & Size==
Little is known about what Elara really looks like, and the LORRI on the New Horizons spacecraft does not take colored images. However, Elara appears to be an irregular-shaped object with dark patches on its top and bottom. Not much else can be said about its appearance, as it would otherwise just be speculation.
Elara has a diameter of 53.438 miles, making it the eighth largest moon of Jupiter, behind the Galilean Four, Amalthea, Himalia, and Thebe.
==Exploration==
Due to the interest of the Galilean Four and Amalthea as compared to Jupiter’s other moons, Elara is rarely embarked upon. However, the New Horizons spacecraft did a flyby of Elara in February and March of 2007 within 5 million miles of the satellite.
==Orbit==
The orbit of Elara is slightly inclined and eccentric, and the orbit is also fairly distant from Jupiter. This likely means Elara was captured a long time ago by Jupiter’s gravity, or formed from a collision with another satellite. It takes Elara roughly 259 earth days to complete an orbit around Jupiter.
Elara has an average distance from Jupiter at approximately 7.3 million miles, making it the 16th closest moon to Jupiter.
Category:Jovian Moons
Category:Himalia Group
Category:Irregular Satellites of Jupiter
Category:Objects Not in Hydrostatic Equilibrium
Category:Objects with No Atmosphere
Category:Outer Solar System Object
Category:Outer Solar System Object
Category:Prograde Satellite
Category:Outer Moon of Jupiter
Category:Named Objects
Category:Named Moons
Category:Numbered Moons
Category:Numbered Objects