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Metis
Position on the route: 32/130 · level needed 91 · journey (Mk0 engine) 16.4 h
By the numbers
| Size | ≈ 60 × 40 × 34 km |
|---|---|
| Year | 7.07 hours |
| Distance | ≈ 128,000 km |
| Found | 1979, Synnott |
The story
Metis is Jupiter’s innermost known moon. Stephen Synnott found it in Voyager 1 images in 1979. About 128,000 km from the planet, it circles faster than Jupiter itself turns (10 hours): a lap in only 7 hours.
It is a source of material for Jupiter’s faint main ring: dust knocked off by impacts feeds the ring; together with Adrastea it bounds it. The radiation is intense.
Missions
- Voyager 1 (1979): discovery
- Galileo (1990s): imaging
Colony note
The radiation is lethal; only an observation post behind a Mk3 shield.
What probes bring back
- Jupiter’s innermost moon (≈ 60 km), found by Voyager 1 (1979); it orbits faster than Jupiter turns: a lap every 7 hours.
- A dust source for the main ring; with Adrastea it feeds the ring.