There are 288 discovered natural satellites – or moons, as they are colloquially known – in the Solar system. Most of these are found in the outer gas giants. However, many of these have not received proper names as they were discovered recently and have yet to be confirmed. Only 164 moons have proper names.
Out of those, there are 5 moons whose names start with the letter L. These are all listed in the following table. Below you will also find some additional details about each, including physical characteristics, the original meaning of their names, etc.
| Name | Planet | Name Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Laomedeia | Neptune | One of the Nereids in Greek mythology |
| Larissa | Neptune | Nymph from Thelassy in Greek mythology |
| Leda | Jupiter | Aetolian princess and later Spartan queen |
| Loge | Saturn | Also named Logi. A fire Jötunn (giant) |
| Lysithea | Jupiter | Mother of Heracles and Zeus. Daughter of the titan Oceanus |
Laomedeia
Laomedeia is an irregular moon of Neptune, discovered in 2002 by Matthew J. Holman and his team. Named after one of the 50 Nereids (sea nymphs) from Greek mythology who were attendants of Poseidon, the name means “ruler of the people.” This small moon, approximately 21 kilometers in diameter, orbits Neptune at an average distance of 23,571,000 kilometers in a prograde direction. It is part of Neptune’s irregular satellite group.
Larissa
Larissa is one of Neptune’s inner satellites, discovered in 1981 by Harold Reitsema using ground-based stellar occultation observations. The moon was named after the nymph Larissa from Thessaly in Greek mythology. It is a heavily cratered body approximately 194 kilometers in diameter, making it one of Neptune’s larger inner moons. Larissa orbits Neptune at about 73,548 kilometers from the planet’s center, completing one orbit in approximately 13 hours.
Leda
Leda is a small irregular satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974. Named after the Aetolian princess who became a Spartan queen in Greek mythology, Leda was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan. This moon is approximately 10 kilometers in diameter and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 11,165,000 kilometers in a prograde direction, taking about 240 days to complete one orbit.
Loge
Loge is an irregular satellite of Saturn, discovered in 2006 by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, and Jan Kleyna. Named after Logi (also known as Loge), a fire giant from Norse mythology who personified fire itself. This small moon is approximately 6 kilometers in diameter and follows a distant, highly inclined retrograde orbit around Saturn. It is a member of the Norse group of irregular satellites, orbiting at an average distance of about 23,058,000 kilometers from Saturn.
Lysithea
Lysithea is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in 1938. Initially designated as Jupiter X, it was named after Lysithea, who was one of Zeus’s lovers and mother of Heracles in Greek mythology. The moon is approximately 42 kilometers in diameter and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 11,717,000 kilometers. It belongs to the Himalia group, sharing similar orbital characteristics with several other Jovian moons.
Click on a letter below for a list of moons that begin with it.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Related:
For more on how moons are named check out this article.