S/2003 J 2

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/s-2003-j-2

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. Who discovered S/2003 J 2?2003
2. What is the object classification?Irregular moon of Jupiter
3. What is the orbital period (jovian year)?Approximately 2.5 Earth days
4. How fast does S/2003 J 2 travel around Jupiter?It takes just 2.5 Earth days to make one orbit, moving at roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) per second.
5. Why is S/2003 J 2 called an irregular moon?Its orbit is tilted and stretched, and scientists think it was captured by Jupiter’s gravity instead of forming there.

Irregular Satellite: A moon with a distant, often inclined and eccentric orbit, suggesting capture rather than co-formation.
Albedo: The measure of how much light an object reflects; a low albedo means it is dark.
Gravitational Capture: The process by which a celestial body is pulled into orbit around a larger body.
Circumplanetary Disk: A disk of gas and dust that surrounds a planet, from which moons can potentially form.