Metis [MEE-tis] is the innermost known satellite of Jupiter. It was named after a Titaness who was a consort of Zeus (Jupiter). Metis and Adrastea lie within Jupiter's main ring and may be the source of material for the ring. Very little is known about Metis.
| Metis Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Stephen Synnott |
| Date of discovery | 1979 |
| Mass (kg) | 9.56e+16 |
| Mass (Earth = 1) | 1.5997e-08 |
| Equatorial radius (km) | 20 |
| Equatorial radius (Earth = 1) | 3.1358e-03 |
| Mean density (gm/cm^3) | 2.8 |
| Mean distance from Jupiter (km) | 127,969 |
| Rotational period (days) | ? |
| Orbital period (days) | 0.294779 |
| Mean orbital velocity (km/sec) | 31.57 |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0.0000 |
| Orbital inclination (degrees) | 0.0000 |
| Escape velocity (km/sec) | 0.0253 |
| Visual geometric albedo | 0.05 |
| Magnitude (Vo) | 17.5 |
| Views of Metis |
|---|
Metis
This image of Metis was taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft
on March 4, 1979. Metis is the small dark dot above the arrow.
(Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton)
| References |
|---|
Synnott, S. P. "Orbits of the Small Inner Satellites of Jupiter." Icarus 58, 1984.
Copyright © 1997 by Calvin J. Hamilton. All rights reserved.
Jupiter
Adrastea