Moon of Jupiter
Himalia
Himalia is a moon. It orbits Jupiter. It is about 170 km across – about as wide as Switzerland. Himalia is the largest of Jupiter's “irregular” moons, which circle far out on tilted, elongated orbits.
Fact file
- Type
- Moon of Jupiter
- Diameter
- 170 km
- Distance from Jupiter
- 11,460,000 km
- Orbital period
- 250.6 days
- Temperature
- -155 °C on average
Himalia orbits Jupiter.
Interesting facts about Himalia
- Himalia is the largest of Jupiter's “irregular” moons, which circle far out on tilted, elongated orbits.
- Discovered in 1904 by Charles Perrine – long before most of Jupiter's other small moons.
- It gives its name to the Himalia group: moons with similar orbits, probably fragments of a single captured asteroid.
Frequently asked questions about Himalia
How big is Himalia?
Himalia has a diameter of 170 km. That is about 4.9% of the diameter of our Moon.
How far is Himalia from Jupiter?
Himalia orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 11.5 million km.
How long does Himalia take to orbit Jupiter?
Himalia orbits Jupiter once every 250.6 days.
How cold or warm is it on Himalia?
On Himalia the average temperature is −155 °C.
Formation
Probably an asteroid captured by Jupiter that broke up in a collision – the pieces now form the Himalia group.
Atmosphere
No atmosphere.
Exploration
Cassini (2000) and New Horizons (2007) saw Himalia only from millions of kilometres away, as a few pixels. There is no true close-up photo.
Compared with Earth
Around 140-170 km across – about as far as from Basel to Lucerne and back again.
Other moons of Jupiter
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