S/2018 J 3 Explained

S/2018 J 3
Discoverer:Scott S. Sheppard
Discovery Site:Las Campanas Obs.
Discovered:12 May 2018
Epoch:25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Observation Arc:4.35 yr (1590 d)
Eccentricity:0.2731285
Period:–1.93 yr (–704.56 days)
Mean Anomaly:16.59790°
Mean Motion: / day
Inclination:164.90043°
Asc Node:240.00514°
Arg Peri:296.52870°
Satellite Of:Jupiter
Group:Carme group
Mean Diameter:
Magnitude:23.9
Abs Magnitude:17.3

S/2018 J 3 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 12 May 2018, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 19 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.

S/2018 J 3 is part of the Carme group, a tight cluster of retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Carme at semi-major axes between NaNe6km, orbital eccentricities between 0.2–0.3, and inclinations between 163–166°. It has a diameter of about for an absolute magnitude of 17.3, making it one of Jupiter's smallest known moons.