An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The innermost moon of → Jupiter. Also known as Jupiter XVI. It was discovered in 1979 in images taken by Voyager 1. Its mass is about 3.6 × 10¹⁶ kg and its dimensions 60 × 40 × 34 km. Its mean distance from Jupiter is 128 000 km and its → orbital period is 0.29 Earth days, which is faster than Jupiter’s rotation period. Metis is one of the → Shepherd moons of Jupiter.

See also: Named in 1983 after the first wife of Zeus.