Pasiphaë group

The Pasiphae group is a group of moons of the planet Jupiter, which move on similar orbits.

The semi-major axes of their orbits in this case run 22.8 to 24.1 million kilometers, while have eccentricities between 0.25 and 0.43 and inclinations ( orbital inclinations ) between 144.5 ° and 158.3 °, with the moons retrograde, ie opposite to the rotation of Jupiter to move the planet.

The thirteen members of the group ( with increasing distance from Jupiter):

• Eurydome
• S/2003 J 23
• Hegemone
• Pasiphae, the largest moon and namesake
• Sponde
• Cyllene
• Megaclite
• S/2003 J 4
• Callirrhoe
• Sinope
• Autonoe
• Aoede
• Kore

Unlike the other groups of retrograde moons of Jupiter, the Ananke group and the Carme group, the orbital inclinations of the Pasiphae group are relatively different. Probably it is an older group, in which the orbits of the members were disturbed over very long periods of time gravitationally.

The International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) awards e for the retrograde moons of Jupiter names ending

• Jupiter moon