Dactyl (moon)

(243) Ida I Dactyl (/ˈdæktɪl/ DAK-til) is a tiny asteroid moon (1.6 km in diameter) that orbits asteroid 243 Ida.[1] It was imaged by the Galileo spacecraft on August 28, 1993; Dactyl was discovered while examining the delayed image downloads from Galileo on February 17, 1994. It was provisionally designated S/1993 (243) 1.[2] The satellite was named after the mythical creatures called dactyls who lived on Mount Ida according to Greek mythology.[3]

Dactyl
Galileo Dactyl.
Discovery
Discovery dateFebruary 17, 1994
Designations
Designation
Dactyl (Ida I)
Named after
dactyls

    Dactyl orbits Ida with a period of 1.54 days at an average distance of 108 km, with an inclination of 9° to Ida's equator.[4]

    The origins of Dactyl are unclear, but two main hypotheses exist. The first is that Dactyl and Ida formed at the same time, and the second is that Dactyl was knocked loose by a later impact.[5][6]

    Dactyl was the first asteroid moon discovered. Its discovery settled the long debate over the existence of asteroid moons.

    See also

    References
    1. "Asteroid 243 Ida and its newly discovered moon, Dactyl". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
    2. Clarke, Aubrey (August 28, 2021). "NASA Galileo Spacecraft Continues to Fulfill Many Tasks After Passing by Asteroid Ida 28 Years Ago". The Space Times.
    3. "In Depth | 243 Ida". NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
    4. Chapman, C. R.; Veverka, J.; Thomas, P. C.; Klaasen, K.; Belton, M. J. S.; Harch, A.; McEwen, A.; Johnson, T. V.; Helfenstein, P.; Davies, M. E.; Merline, W. J. (1995). "Discovery and physical properties of Dactyl, a satellite of asteroid 243 Ida". Nature. 374 (6525): 783–785. Bibcode:1995Natur.374..783C. doi:10.1038/374783a0. ISSN 0028-0836. S2CID 4319450.
    5. Granahan, James (2002). "A compositional study of asteroid 243 Ida and Dactyl from Galileo NIMS and SSI observations". Journal of Geophysical Research. 107 (E10): 5090. Bibcode:2002JGRE..107.5090G. doi:10.1029/2001JE001759. ISSN 0148-0227.
    6. Davis, Donald R.; Chapman, Clark R.; Durda, Daniel D.; Farinella, Paolo; Marzari, Francesco (1996). "The Formation and Collisional/Dynamical Evolution of the Ida/Dactyl System as Part of the Koronis Family". Icarus. 120 (1): 220–230. Bibcode:1996Icar..120..220D. doi:10.1006/icar.1996.0047.
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