Aster › Space program › Thebe
Thebe
Position on the route: 34/130 · level needed 94 · journey (Mk0 engine) 16.4 h
By the numbers
| Size | ≈ 116 × 98 × 84 km |
|---|---|
| Year | 16.2 hours |
| Distance | 221,900 km |
| Found | 1979, Voyager 1 |
The story
Thebe is Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon, an inner moon just beyond Amalthea. Stephen Synnott found it in Voyager 1 images in 1979. About 116 × 98 × 84 km, very red and cratered. Micrometeorite impacts knock dust off Thebe that feeds Jupiter’s faint ‘Thebe gossamer ring’.
Galileo (1998–2002) imaged it; the density is low: a porous rubble pile. It orbits right in the heart of Jupiter’s lethal radiation belt.
Missions
- Voyager 1 (1979): discovery
- Galileo (1998–2002): imaging
Colony note
The radiation is lethal; only an observation station, behind a Mk3 shield.
What probes bring back
- Found by Voyager 1 (1979); about 116 × 98 × 84 km and very red, it feeds Jupiter’s ‘Thebe gossamer ring’.
- Imaged by Galileo (2000–2002); it orbits inside the radiation belt.