Leda (moon)

Leda or , is a moon of Jupiter. Unlike many moons, it is not a sphere. Charles T. Kowal found it working at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974. He took photographs for three nights September 11 through 13. Leda is in all of the photographs.IAUC 2702: Probable New Satellite of Jupiter 1974 September 20 (discovery) The moon'S name come from Leda in Greek mythology. She was one of Zeus's lovers. Zeus is the Greek equivalent of Jupiter. Zeus came to Leda in the shape of a swan. Kowal suggested the name and the IAU supported it in 1975.

Leda belongs to the Himalia group. They are five moons orbiting between 11,000,000 and 13,000,000 km from Jupiter at an inclination of about 27.5°. The orbital elements given here are as of January 2000, but they are changing a lot because gravity effects from the sun and planets.

References

Other websites
Leda Profile  by NASA's Solar System Exploration
David Jewitt pages
Scott Sheppard pages

Category:Jupiter's moons