9 of the 12 Jupiter satellites found to be in retrograde orbit

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9 of the 12 Jupiter satellites found to be in retrograde orbit [Copy link]

 

The Carnegie Institution for Science in the United States issued a press release on the 17th, saying that a research team of the institute discovered 12 satellites of Jupiter, bringing the total number of known satellites of Jupiter to 79.

Researchers said that the discovery of these satellites will help scientists better understand the early evolution of the solar system. Science magazine later published an article saying that two of the 12 satellites discovered by the research team were confirmed by the International Astronomical Union last year.

The satellites of Jupiter discovered so far can be divided into three groups, namely the Galilean satellites closest to Jupiter, the outer retrograde satellites farthest from Jupiter, and the prograde satellites between the two. Researchers said that among the 12 satellites they discovered, 9 are located in the outer retrograde satellite group. Their orbital direction is opposite to the rotation direction of Jupiter, and the revolution time is about two years. These 9 satellites are in three different orbital groups, so they are believed to be the remnants of the collision and merger of 3 once larger satellites with asteroids, comets or other satellites.

There are two more newly discovered satellites in the prograde satellite group slightly closer to Jupiter. Their orbits are in the same direction as Jupiter's rotation and their orbital period is less than one year. Because their orbital intervals and orbital inclinations are very similar, these two satellites are believed to be fragments of a larger satellite.

The last newly discovered satellite is "different". This satellite is very small, with a diameter of less than one kilometer, and is likely to be the smallest of the currently known Jupiter satellites. As a prograde satellite, it is farther away from Jupiter than other prograde satellites, has a larger orbital inclination, and a relatively longer revolution time. It takes about one and a half years to orbit Jupiter. Researchers believe that this "alternative" satellite is likely to be the last remnant after the collision of a prograde orbit satellite that was once larger.

These satellites help scientists better understand the early conditions of the solar system. Researchers said that the large number of small satellites in Jupiter's orbital groups indicates that after the formation of the solar system planets, there have been many collisions between planetary satellites.