Philophrosyne is a small irregular moon of Jupiter, discovered in 2003 in a ground-based survey and first known as S/2003 J 15. It orbits Jupiter at a great distance on a retrograde path, travelling opposite to the planet's rotation, a sign that it is a captured body rather than one that formed with Jupiter. Moons like it are thought to be fragments of larger objects that were broken apart by collisions after capture. It was named in the 2010s after the Greek goddess Philophrosyne, a personification of welcome and kindness. It is only a few kilometres across and can be seen only through large telescopes.
Before and after
- 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
- 8 February 2003Discovery of Herse
- 8 February 2003Discovery of Aoede
- 8 February 2003Discovery of Hegemone
More in Universe & space
- 22 June 1978Discovery of Charon
- 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
- 25 December 2021Launch of James Webb Space Telescope
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.