Eirene is a small irregular moon of Jupiter, found in 2003 in a ground-based survey for faint satellites of the giant planets, and known at first by the provisional designation S/2003 J 5. It orbits Jupiter at a great distance on a retrograde path, opposite to the planet's rotation, which suggests that it was captured rather than formed there. Many of Jupiter's outer moons are thought to be fragments of larger captured bodies that were shattered by collisions. It was given its permanent name in the 2010s, from Eirene, the Greek goddess of peace. It is only a few kilometres across and visible only through large telescopes.
Before and after
- 6 February 2003Discovery of Kallichore
- 6 February 2003Discovery of S/2003 J 18
- 6 February 2003Discovery of S/2003 J 10
- 6 February 2003Discovery of S/2003 J 9
- 6 February 2003Discovery of Eirene
- 6 February 2003Discovery of S/2003 J 19
- 6 February 2003Discovery of S/2003 J 16
- 6 February 2003Discovery of Philophrosyne
- 6 February 2003Discovery of S/2003 J 23
More in Universe & space
- 22 June 1978Discovery of Charon
- 20 January 1986Discovery of Ophelia
- 24 April 1990Launch of Hubble Space Telescope
- 1998Supernovae show that cosmic expansion is accelerating
- 20 November 1998Launch of International Space Station
- 10 April 2019The first image of a black hole
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.