December 2001: eleven new moons

The survey that found Pasithee.

Published 2026-10-23

Pasithee was discovered on 11 December 2001 by Scott Sheppard, David Jewitt and Jan Kleyna at Mauna Kea.^[2]

Part of a haul

Using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, Sheppard’s team found eleven Jovian moons in December 2001.^[5]

Faint and tiny

The moons found after 2000 are all faint and tiny.^[5] Pasithee, about 2 km across, is one of the smallest.^[1]

The count

Between 2000 and 2004, surveys raised Jupiter’s known moon count from 17 to 63.^[5]

Numbered citations link to the sources list on the Pasithee overview page.