Halimede is a retrograde irregular satellite of Neptune. Halimede is the 9th overall largest satellite of Neptune and 61th largest moon in the Solar System currently known.
Discovery
Matthew J. Holman, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA); John J. Kavelaars, National Research Council of Canada; T. Grav, University of Oslo and CfA; and W. Fraser and Dan Milisavljevic, McMaster University, reported the discovery of three satellites of Neptune on CCD images obtained in 14 August 2002 with the 4-m Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo.
Naming
The moon was given the temporary designation S/2002 N1.
Halimede the moon is named after one of the Nereids, the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris.
Stats
Diameter (mean): 62 km
Semi-major axis: 16,611,000 km
Orbital Period: 1879.08 days
Rotation Period: ?
Orbit
Halimede has the second most eccentric (0.2646) and third most inclined (112.712°) orbit around Neptune.
Formation
Given the very similar colour of the satellite to that of Nereid together with the high probability of collision in the past lifespan of the Solar System, it has been suggested that the satellite could be a fragment of Nereid.
Physical characteristics
Little is known about Halimede.
Halimede is about 62 kilometers in diameter (assuming an albedo of 0.04) and appears neutral (grey) in the visible light.
No comments:
Post a Comment