What is Amalthea?
1.
n.
Greek Mythology: Amalthea (also Amaltheia, meaning "tender") is the foster-mother of Zeus. She is sometimes represented as the goat which suckled the infant-god in a cave in Crete, sometimes as a nymph of uncertain parentage (daughter of Oceanus, Haemonius, Olen, Melisseus), who brought him up on the milk of a goat. This goat having broken off one of its horns, Amalthea filled it with flowers and fruits and presented it to Zeus, who placed it together with the goat amongst the stars. According to another story, Zeus himself broke off the horn and gave it to Amalthea, promising that it would supply whatever she desired in abundance. Amalthea gave it to Achelous (her reputed brother), who exchanged it for his own horn which had been broken off in his contest with Heracles for the possession of Deianeira. According to ancient mythology, the owners of the horn were many and various. Speaking generally, it was regarded as the symbol of inexhaustible riches and plenty, Cornicopia.
Jupiter's Satellite: Amalthea is the third of Jupiter's known moons. It was discovered on September 9, 1892 by Edward Emerson Barnard. Amalthea was the last moon to be discovered by direct visual observation (as opposed to photographically), and was the first new moon of Jupiter to be discovered since Galileo Galilei discovered the Galilean moons in 1610. It is named after the nymph of Greek legend. Amalthea is the reddest object in the solar system, even redder than the planet Mars. The reddish color is apparently due to sulfur originating from Io. Bright patches of green appear on the major slopes of Amalthea, but the nature of this color is currently unknown. Amalthea is irregularly shaped, with dimensions of 270 × 168 × 150 km; the long axis is oriented toward Jupiter and is tidally locked with the planet. Its composition is probably more similar to an asteroid's than any of the Galilean moons, and it may in fact be a captured asteroid. Like Io, Amalthea radiates more heat than it receives from the Sun. This is probably due to the electrical currents induced within it by its orbit through Jupiter's magnetic field.
The Last Unicorn: by Peter S Beagle, published in 1968, and made into an animated full length film in 1982. It was Schmendrick the Magician who came up with the name Amalthea. Right after he saved the Unicorn from the Red Bull by transforming it into a woman, Molly and Schmendrick needed a name for her before they could continue their travel. When the trio arrived at King Haggard's castle, Schmendrick introduced her as his cousin Lady Amalthea to avoid any unpleasant questions.
She is Lady Amalthea, my cousin.
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