S/2021 J 6 Explained

S/2021 J 6
Discoverer:Scott S. Sheppard
David J. Tholen
Chad Trujillo
Discovery Site:Mauna Kea Obs.
Discovered:5 September 2021
Epoch:25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Observation Arc:12.04 yr (4,396 d)
Earliest Precovery Date:2 October 2010
Eccentricity:0.3625334
Period:–2.01 yr (–732.55 days)
Mean Anomaly:77.36574°
Mean Motion: / day
Inclination:166.49991°
Asc Node:172.60903°
Arg Peri:254.84930°
Satellite Of:Jupiter
Group:Carme group
Mean Diameter:
Magnitude:23.9
Abs Magnitude:17.3

S/2021 J 6 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David J. Tholen, and Chad Trujillo on 5 September 2021, using the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 20 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit. The satellite has been found in precovery observations as early as 2 October 2010.

S/2021 J 6 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.