Leda (moon)

Leda or Jupiter XIII, 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.^[1][4] 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.^[5]

Leda

Discovery
Discovered by	Charles T. Kowal
Discovery date	September 11, 1974[1]
Orbital characteristics
Mean orbit radius	11,160,000 km[2]
Eccentricity	0.16[2]
Orbital period	240.92 d (0.654 a)[2]
Average orbital speed	3.4 km/s
Inclination	27.46° (to the ecliptic) 29.01° (to Jupiter's equator)[2]
Satellite of	Jupiter
Physical characteristics
Mean radius	10 km
Surface area	~1250 km²
Volume	~4200 km³
Mass	1.1×1016 kg
Mean density	2.6 g/cm³ (assumed)
Surface gravity	~0.0073 m/s2 (0.001 g)
Escape velocity	~0.012 km/s
Albedo	0.04 (assumed)
Temperature	~124 K
Apparent magnitude	20.2 [3]

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°.^[2] The orbital elements given here are as of January 2000, but they are changing a lot because gravity effects from the sun and planets.