Dia , also known as Jupiter LIII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. Provisionally known as S/2000 J 11, it received its name on March 7, 2015.CBET (Central Bureau Electronic Telegram) 4075: 20150307: Satellites of Jupiter, March 7, 2015 It is named after Dia, daughter of Deioneus (or Eioneus), wife of Ixion. According to Homer, she was seduced by Zeus in stallion form; Pirithous was the issue.
The satellite is one of several known small bodies in the Himalia group.Sheppard, S. S.; Jewitt, D. C.; An abundant population of small irregular satellites around Jupiter , Nature, 423 (May 2003), pages 261–263
Dia is thought to be about 4 kilometres in diameter.Sheppard, S. S.; Jewitt, D. C.; Porco, C.; Jupiter's outer satellites and Trojans , in Jupiter: The planet, satellites and magnetosphere, edited by Fran Bagenal, Timothy E. Dowling, William B. McKinnon, Cambridge Planetary Science, Volume 1, Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, , 2004, pages 263-280 It orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 12 million km in 274 days, at an inclination of 28° (to Jupiter's equator), and with an eccentricity of 0.21.
Observational history Dia was discovered by a team of astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi led by Scott S. Sheppard in 2000 with an observation arc of 26 days.
Initial observations were not followed up, and Dia was not observed for more than a decade after 2000. This apparent disappearance led some astronomers to consider the moon lost. One theory was that it had crashed into Himalia, creating a faint ring around Jupiter."Lunar marriage may have given Jupiter a ring", New Scientist, March 20, 2010, page 16. However, it was finally recovered in observations made in 2010 and 2011.
References
External links Minor Planet Center Planetary Satellite Mean Orbital Parameters NASA JPL Scott Sheppard pages David Jewitt pages