Himalia group
The Himalia group is a group of prograde irregular satellites of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Himalia and are thought to have a common origin.
The known members of the group are (in order of increasing distance from Jupiter):
| Name | Diameter (km) | Period (days) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leda | 21.5 | 240.93 | |
| Ersa | 3 | 249.23 | |
| Himalia | 139.6 (150 × 120) | 250.56 | largest member and group prototype |
| S/2018 J 2 | 3 | 250.88 | |
| Pandia | 3 | 251.91 | |
| Lysithea | 42.2 | 259.20 | |
| Elara | 79.9 | 259.64 | |
| S/2011 J 3 | 3 | 261.77 | |
| Dia | 4 | 278.21 |
Two additional possible satellites discovered by Sheppard in 2017 have been identified to be likely part of the Himalia group, but were too faint (mag >24) to be tracked and confirmed as satellites.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) reserves names for moons of Jupiter ending in -a (Leda, Himalia and so on) for the moons in this group to indicate prograde motions of these bodies relative to Jupiter, their gravitationally central object.
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