Amalthea Facts for Kids

A Picture of Jupiter's Moon Amalthea
  • Moon Name: Amalthea
  • Designation: Jupiter V
  • Date Discovered: September 9th, 1892
  • Discovered by: Edward E. Barnard
  • Average Orbit of Jupiter: 112,716.73 mi
  • Total Volume: 584,010.99 mi3
  • Surface Area: 33,788.17 mi2

17 Amalthea Facts for Kids

  1. Amalthea is one of the 79 known moons of the planet Jupiter.
  2. Amalthea is named after the foster-mother of Zeus in Greek mythology.
  3. Amalthea is also designated as Jupiter V.
  4. Amalthea was discovered on September 9th, 1892 by American astronomer Edward Barnard.
  5. Edward Barnard discovered Amalthea using a 36-inch refractor telescope at the Lick Observatory in California.
  6. Amalthea was the last moon to be discovered using direct visual observation, all later moons have been discovered using digital imaging or photographs.
  7. The average orbit distance for Amalthea is 12,716.73 miles.
  8. The total surface area of Amalthea is 33,788.17 mi2.
  9. The total volume of Amalthea is 584,010.99 mi3.
  10. Amalthea takes about 12 hours to complete an orbit around Jupiter.
  11. Amalthea is the third closest moon to the planet Jupiter.
  12. Amalthea is the sixth most massive moon orbiting Jupiter.
  13. Amalthea is the largest of the inner moons of Jupiter.
  14. A large majority of the surface of Amalthea is red.
  15. The largest crater on Amalthea is Pan with a diameter of 62 miles.
  16. The largest bright spot (faculae) on Amalthea is Ida Facula with a diameter of 31 miles.
  17. Images of Amalthea were taken by Voyager 1 and 2 in 1979 and the Galileo orbiter in the 1990s.

Additional Resources on Jupiter’s moon Amalthea

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