| Proper Name | Amalthea | | Designation | Jupiter V | | Primary Planet | Jupiter | | Family / Class | Inner moons | | Orbital Period | 11 hours, 57 minutes | | Distance from Jupiter | Semi-Major Axis: 181,400 km
Periapsis: 180,900 km
Apoapsis: 181,900 km | | Eccentricity | 0.003 | | Rotation Period | 11 hours, 57 minutes (synchronous orbit) | | Mean Diameter | 167 km
104 miles | | Notes | A bright red moon, notable as the first moon of Jupiter to be discovered after the four huge Galilean moons. Amalthea orbits close to the giant planet, within the orbit of Io, and its irregular surface is marked by significant cratering. Two major craters in particular, named Gaea and Pan, each occupy a significant area of the moon's surface. This moon of Jupiter is not to be confused with the asteroid, 113 Amalthea, that shares the same name. |
One of the innermost moons of Jupiter, Amalthea is an elongated irregular object roughly 250 km along its longest axis. It is a brilliant red-orange in colour, and this is thought to be due to sulphur compounds from the innermost of the Galilean satellites, Io.
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