Remus (moon)
Adaptive Optics observations of (87) Sylvia, showing its two satellites, Remus and Romulus. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Franck Marchis, Pascal Descamps, Daniel Hestroffer, Jérôme Berthier |
| Discovery date | August 9, 2004 |
| Designations | |
| Sylvia II | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈriːməs/ |
Named after | Rēmus |
| |
| Main belt (Cybele) | |
| Adjectives | Remian /ˈriːmiən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 706 ± 5 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.016 ± 0.011 |
| 1.3788 ± 0.0007 d | |
Average orbital speed | 37.2 m/s |
| Inclination | 2.0 ± 1.0° (with respect to Sylvia equator) |
| Satellite of | 87 Sylvia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7 ± 2 km |
| Mass | ~ 2×1014 kg (estimate) |
Equatorial escape velocity | ~ 4 m/s (estimate) |
| unknown, probably synchronous | |
| unknown, zero expected | |
| 11.1 | |
Remus, formal designation 87 Sylvia II, is the inner and smaller moon of the main-belt asteroid 87 Sylvia. It follows an almost-circular and close-to-equatorial orbit around the parent asteroid. In this respect it is similar to the other Sylvian moon Romulus.