Polymele
(15094) Polymele is a small, primitive P-type Jupiter Trojan asteroid located in the Greek (L4) camp, approximately 21 kilometers (13 miles) in diameter, with an elongated shape estimated at up to 27 kilometers along its widest axis.[1][2] Discovered on November 17, 1999, by astronomers of the Catalina Sky Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona, it orbits the Sun at a semi-major axis of 5.17 AU with an eccentricity of 0.095 and an inclination of 12.99° relative to the ecliptic, completing one orbit every 11 years and 9 months.[3][1] Named after Polymele, a figure in Greek mythology and the mother of Patroclus and wife of Menoetius, the asteroid is notable for its dark, carbon-rich surface indicative of ancient, unaltered material from the early Solar System.[1] In March 2022, the science team of NASA's Lucy mission discovered that Polymele has a small satellite approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) in diameter, orbiting at a distance of about 200 kilometers (125 miles).[2][3] This moon, as yet unnamed pending further orbital characterization, was detected through a stellar occultation event observed by multiple ground-based teams when Polymele was 770 million kilometers from Earth.[2] The binary nature of the system provides insights into the formation and dynamical history of Trojan asteroids, which are thought to be captured planetesimals from the outer Solar System.[2] Polymele is one of the primary targets of the Lucy spacecraft, launched in October 2021, which will conduct a close flyby on September 15, 2027, at a distance of no more than 1,000 kilometers and a relative speed of 6 kilometers per second.[1] This encounter will allow for detailed imaging, spectroscopy, and thermal analysis to study its composition, shape, and potential geological features, contributing to broader understanding of the Trojan population's role in Solar System evolution.[1][2] Prior observations, including light curve measurements, indicate a rotation period of about 5.9 hours, suggesting a relatively fast spinner among Trojans.[4]Etymology and nomenclature
Linguistic origins
The name Polymele (Ancient Greek: Πολυμήλη) derives from the combining elements polys (πολύς), meaning "many," and the stem of mēlos (μέλος), meaning "song," yielding the interpretation "many songs." The musical sense predominates in scholarly analysis of mythological nomenclature, aligning with the term's connotation of melody or rhythmic expression often linked to choral performances and ritual dances in ancient Greek narratives. This etymology reflects the linguistic patterns in epic poetry, where compound names frequently evoke artistic or performative qualities. In Greek cultural traditions, names incorporating mēlos or similar roots underscore connections to poetic and hymnic practices, symbolizing divine inspiration or roles in sacred performances that invoke the favor of gods like Apollo or the Muses. Such nomenclature implies an association with artistic excellence and ritual efficacy, as songs and dances were integral to religious ceremonies and heroic ideals in archaic society. For instance, the emphasis on song evokes the performative arts central to epic recitation and cultic worship. The earliest attestations of Polymele appear in the Homeric Iliad (16.179–183), where the figure is described in a context highlighting her grace in dance, and in Hesiodic fragments such as Ehoiai fr. 38 (Merkelbach-West), preserving variant traditions of the name within genealogical catalogues. These texts, dating to the late 8th or early 7th century BCE, establish Polymele as an archetypal name in early Greek literature, predating later Hellenistic elaborations.[5]Name variations in ancient sources
In ancient Greek texts, the name Polymele exhibits orthographic variations primarily in the rendering of the long e sound and the final vowel, influenced by dialectal preferences and later transliterations. The standard epic form, as seen in Homer's Iliad (16.180), is Πολυμήλη (Polumēlē), where the eta (η) denotes the long ē typical of the Ionic dialect used in Homeric poetry.[6] In contrast, some later or variant traditions substitute epsilon (ε) for eta, yielding forms like Πολυμέλη (Polumelē), reflecting Attic dialect tendencies where certain long vowels were shortened or diphthongized in specific contexts. Another attested variant is Πολυμήδη (Polumēdē), appearing in genealogical accounts, possibly due to assimilation with similar names like Polymede, as recorded in Apollodorus' Bibliotheca (1.9.16) for one of the figures bearing the name.[7] These differences arise from the phonological evolution between dialects: Ionic preserved the Proto-Greek long /ā/ as /ē/ (written with eta after its adoption from Phoenician script around the 8th century BCE), while Attic often reverted such sounds to /a/ or used epsilon in contracted forms, leading to sporadic shifts in mythological nomenclature across regional manuscripts. Scholia to Homer, such as those on the Iliad (16.180), occasionally note these alternations, attributing them to copyist interventions or dialectal harmonization in Alexandrian editions.[8] Manuscript traditions further contributed to variations, particularly in medieval Byzantine copies where scribal practices in Constantinople standardized epic texts but introduced inconsistencies. For instance, 10th-century minuscules of the Iliad (e.g., Venetus A) consistently use Πολυμήλη, but later excerpts in scholiastic compilations show Polymēlē with iota subscript or elongated eta, reflecting Erasmian transliteration influences in Renaissance editions.[9] The following table compares spellings of the name across select key works, highlighting primary manuscript forms:| Source | Greek/Latin Spelling | Transliteration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hesiod, Ehoiai fr. 38 M-W | Πολυμήλη | Polumēlē | Epic Ionic form; refers to daughter of Autolycus.[10] |
| Homer, Iliad 16.180 | Πολυμήλη | Polumēlē | Standard Homeric; mother of Eudorus.[6] |
| Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.9.16 | Πολυμήδη | Polumēdē | Variant for Jason's mother; eta to epsilon shift.[7] |