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Amalthea
Position on the route: 33/130 · level needed 92 · journey (Mk0 engine) 16.4 h
By the numbers
| Size | 250 × 146 × 128 km |
|---|---|
| Year | 11.95 hours |
| Distance | 181,400 km |
| Discovered | 1892, Barnard |
The story
Amalthea is Jupiter’s fifth moon and the largest of the inner group. Edward Barnard discovered it in 1892: the last moon found by looking through a telescope (later ones were found on photographs). It orbits only 181,400 km from Jupiter, going round more than twice a day.
Very red, irregular and a rubble pile: density 0.86 g/cm³, so it would float. It gives off more heat than it receives; electric currents in Jupiter’s magnetic field may be heating it. Galileo (2002) flew close and the radiation nearly finished the craft.
Missions
- Voyager 1 and 2 (1979)
- Galileo (2002): a pass at 160 km
Colony note
The radiation is lethal; only an observation station, behind a Mk3 shield.
What probes bring back
- Found by Barnard in 1892: the last moon found by eye. The radiation belt it flies in is lethal.
- Among the reddest objects in the Solar System; it radiates more heat than it receives (currents induced by Jupiter heat it).