Carme group

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/carme-group

1. How big is Carme group?
2. What is the parent planet?
3. What is the orbital semi-major axis range?
4. What are the Carme group moons?
5. Why do Carme group moons move in the opposite direction of Jupiter's rotation?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Carme group?Gravitationally captured asteroidal fragments
2. What is the parent planet?Jupiter
3. What is the orbital semi-major axis range?Approximately 20 to 24 million kilometers
4. What are the Carme group moons?They are small, rocky moons that orbit far from Jupiter, with tilted and sometimes backward paths. They are called "irregular" because their orbits are very different from the big, round moons like Io and Europa.
5. Why do Carme group moons move in the opposite direction of Jupiter's rotation?Their backward motion shows they were captured by Jupiter's gravity, not formed with the planet. It is a sign that they came from outside Jupiter's original disk.

Irregular Satellites: Moons with orbits that are distant, eccentric, inclined, and often retrograde, suggesting capture.
Prograde Orbit: An orbit in which a moon travels in the same direction as the planet's rotation.
Gravitational Capture: The process by which a massive body's gravity permanently alters the trajectory of a passing object into orbit.
Spectroscopic Analysis: The study of how light interacts with matter to determine its chemical composition.