Eukelade.space

Irregular moon of Jupiter (retrograde) · Outer Jovian system · Carme group

Eukelade

Jupiter XLVII · S/2003 J 1

A four-kilometre moon named after a little-known Muse, found in Jupiter’s great discovery year of 2003.

Key factsStar projector picker
Eukelade at a glance
Object typeIrregular, retrograde moon of Jupiter[1]
GroupCarme group[1]
DiscoveredFeb. 6, 2003, Mauna Kea, Hawaii[2]
DiscovererScott S. Sheppard[2]
NamedMarch 2005, after Eucelade, a Muse[1]
Diameter≈ 4 km[1]
Apojove17 Jan. 2026, ≈ 30.7 million km from Jupiter[1]
Mean distance≈ 23.1 million km from Jupiter[3]
Orbital period≈ 716 days[3]
Inclination≈ 165° (retrograde)[3]
Eccentricity≈ 0.27[3]

A Carme-group moon

Eukelade is a retrograde irregular moon about 4 km across, discovered in 2003 and designated S/2003 J 1.[1] It belongs to the Carme group, orbiting at 23–24 million km at an inclination of about 165°.[1]

Farthest point: January 2026

Eukelade reached apojove on 17 January 2026, about 0.205 AU (30.7 million km) from Jupiter.[1]

Origin

The Carme group probably began as a D-type asteroid that broke apart. The largest chunk, Carme, keeps 99% of the group’s mass.[2]

A little-known Muse

Named in March 2005, Eukelade honours Eucelade, who according to John Tzetzes was listed by some Greek writers as one of the Muses.[1]

Star projector picker

Bring the night sky indoors. Answer five quick questions and we’ll suggest star and planetarium projectors that fit your room and budget — with links to browse current models.

Start the picker →

Orbit

JPL’s mean elements give Eukelade a range of about 16.7 to 29.4 million km and a period of about 716 days.[3] Its January 2026 apojove was farther than this average range, because its orbit changes over time.[1]

Jupiter Callisto (1.88 million km)Himalia (11.44 million km) farthest ≈ 29.4 million km closest ≈ 16.7 million km
Top-down orbit of Eukelade to scale, computed from JPL orbital elements (a ≈ 23.06 million km, e ≈ 0.274).[3] Callisto and Himalia orbits shown for comparison.[3] Mean orbital elements; the real orbit is tilted steeply and shifts over time, so this top-down view flattens it onto one plane.

Bring the sky inside

Eukelade is invisible to home telescopes. A star projector is a fun way to explore constellations and planets indoors.

Read more

The Muses: three, four or nine?

Ancient writers disagreed on how many Muses there were — and Eukelade’s namesake is one of the obscure ones.

Read →

2003: the year Jupiter’s moon count exploded

Eukelade was one of a flood of discoveries.

Read →

Eukelade’s 2026 apojove

How far a small moon wanders from Jupiter.

Read →

Sources

  1. Eukelade — Wikipedia
  2. Eukelade — NASA Science
  3. Planetary Satellite Mean Elements — NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
  4. Muses — Wikipedia
  5. Moons of Jupiter — Wikipedia

Figures are rounded; where sources differ we note it. Spotted an error? Tell us.