| Discovery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. Synnott | ||||||
| Discovered in | 1979 | ||||||
| Orbital characteristics | |||||||
| Mean radius | 127,969 km | ||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.0012 | ||||||
| Revolution period | 7h 4.5m | ||||||
| Inclination | ~0° | ||||||
| Is a satellite of | Jupiter | ||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||
| Equatorial diameter | 60(×40) km | ||||||
| Surface area | km2 | ||||||
| Mass | 9.5467×1016 kg | ||||||
| Mean density | 2.8 g/cm3 | ||||||
| Surface gravity | 0.0159 m/s2 | ||||||
| Rotation period | 7h 4.5m | ||||||
| Axial tilt | ° | ||||||
| Albedo | 0.05 | ||||||
| Surface temp |
| ||||||
| Atmospheric pressure | 0 kPa | ||||||
Metis (pronounced "MEE tis") is the innermost of Jupiter's known moonss. It was discovered in 1979 by the Voyager 1 probe and named after Metis, a Titanessess who was the first wife of Zeus and the mother of Athena. It lies within Jupiter's main planetary ring, and may be the source of the material that comprises it. Its orbit lies inside Jupiter's synchronous orbit radius, and as a result tidal forces are slowly causing its orbit to decay. It is also within Jupiter's Roche limit, but is small enough to avoid tidal disruption.
This image of Metis was taken by Galileo's solid state imaging system between November 1996 and June 1997.