From infrared thermal measurements by the WISE spacecraft, Kalyke's albedo is measured at 2.9%, corresponding to a diameter of 6.9 kilometres.[3] It orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 23,181,000 km in 766.61 days, at an inclination of 166° to the ecliptic (165° to Jupiter's equator), in a retrograde direction and with an eccentricity of 0.2140.
It was named in October 2002 after the Greek mythological figure Kalyke or Calyce.[6]
It belongs to the Carme group, made up of irregular retrograde moons orbiting Jupiter at a distance ranging between 23 and 24 Gm and at an inclination of about 165°. Kalyke is redder in color (B−V=0.94, V−R=0.70) than other moons of the Carme group, suggesting that it is a captured centaur or TNO, or a remnant of such an object that collided with the Carme group progenitor.[7]
Notes
^as 'Calyce' in Webster, Noah (1884). A Practical Dictionary of the English Language.
^Sheppard, Scott. "Scott S. Sheppard - Jupiter Moons". Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Carnegie Institution for Science. Retrieved 26 November 2020.