Discovery of Himalia

Date: December 3, 1904 • Location: Santa Clara County, United States

Himalia, Jupiter's largest irregular moon, was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory in California.

Himalia, also known as Jupiter VI, is the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter. With a diameter of around 140 km (90 mi), it is the sixth largest Jovian satellite, after the four Galilean moons and Amalthea. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory on 3 December 1904 and is named after the nymph Himalia, who bore three sons of Zeus. It is the largest member of the Himalia group, a group of moons that orbit in the prograde direction around Jupiter, likely a collisional family originating from a captured asteroid.