Lysithea

astronomy

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June 30, 2026

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Lysithea is one of Jupiter's moons. It is classified as an irregular moon, meaning it has a more eccentric and inclined orbit compared to the regular moons like Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Lysithea was discovered in 1938 and is part of a larger group of outer moons that orbit Jupiter. These irregular moons are thought to have originated from captured bodies that later broke apart. Lysithea's orbital period is approximately 259.2 Earth days.12

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Jupiter
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The closer group—Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, and Elara—has prograde orbits. (In the case of these moons, retrograde motion is in the direction opposite to Jupiter’s spin and motion around the Sun, which are counterclockwise as viewed from above Jupiter’s north pole, whereas prograde, or direct, motion is in the same…
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The closer group—Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, and Elara—has prograde orbits. (In the case of these moons, retrograde motion is in the direction opposite to Jupiter’s spin and motion around the Sun, which are counterclockwise as viewed from above Jupiter’s north pole, whereas prograde, or direct, motion is in the same…
Read More