Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter

Adrastea

Amalthea

Thebe

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Amalthea from Galileo orbiter, taken in November 1999. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell University

Classification

Natural satellite of Jupiter

Average distance from Jupiter

181,366 km
112,695 miles

Diameter across equator

167 km
104 miles

Time to orbit Jupiter

12 hours

Year of Discovery

1892

Origin of Name

Foster-mother of Zeus, sometimes represented as a goat. The first moon of Jupiter to be discovered after the Galilean satellites almost 300 years earlier and the last to be found by traditional observation through a telescope. It officially received its n

Amalthea is the third closest moon to Jupiter. It is one of Jupiter's four inner moons which are the four closest moons to Jupiter. Amalthea is the largest of these moons and the fifth largest moon of Jupiter overall.

Adrastea

Amalthea

Thebe

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