Erinome

Lore & Background

Erinome was named in October 2002 after the mythological Erinoma, a Cypriot woman said by the discovery group to be a 'daughter of Celes, compelled by Venus to fall in love with Jupiter.' In the surviving myths, however, it is actually Jupiter (Zeus) whom Venus (Aphrodite) makes fall in love with Erinoma, in order to ruin her. The final -a vowel of the name was changed to -e to accord with IAU naming conventions for retrograde moons.

The story is only known in Latin, and manuscripts have the name as Erinoma, Erinona and Erittoma. The original Greek name, and thus the stressed syllable in Latin, is unknown. It might be a late corruption of Eurynome, in which case the stress would be on the third syllable (?). Since there is no moon named 'Eurynome' as of 2025, this would not be ambiguous.

Erinome is about 3 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 22,986,000 km in 682.80 days, at an inclination of 164° to the ecliptic (162° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.2552.

Reader's Guide

Erinome is notable as one of Jupiter's irregular retrograde satellites, discovered in 2000 by a University of Hawaiʻi team led by Scott S. Sheppard. Its membership in the Carme group places it among a cluster of moons that share similar orbital characteristics—distances between 23 and 24 million km and inclinations around 165°—suggesting a common origin, likely from a captured asteroid that later fragmented. The moon's small size (about 3 km in diameter) and retrograde orbit indicate it was not formed in situ but was captured by Jupiter's gravity. Its naming history reflects IAU conventions for retrograde moons, with the mythological name Erinoma altered to Erinome. The uncertainty in the original Greek name and the possibility of it being a corruption of Eurynome add a layer of philological interest. As of 2025, no moon named Eurynome exists, so no ambiguity arises. Erinome's discovery contributed to the growing catalog of Jupiter's irregular satellites, helping astronomers understand the dynamics of the Jovian system and the population of captured bodies in the outer solar system.

Did You Know?

• Erinome was discovered in 2000 by a team from the University of Hawaiʻi led by Scott S. Sheppard.
• It is about 3 km in diameter and orbits Jupiter retrograde at an average distance of 22,986,000 km.
• Erinome belongs to the Carme group, whose moons orbit between 23 and 24 million km from Jupiter.
• Its name was changed from Erinoma to Erinome to follow IAU naming conventions for retrograde moons.