Orbit
Metis is the innermost of Jupiter's four small inner moons. It orbits Jupiter at a distance of ~128,000 km (1.79 Jupiter radii) within the planet's main ring. Its orbit has very small eccentricity (~0.0002) and inclination (~ 0.06°) relative to the equator of Jupiter.
Due to tidal locking, Metis rotates synchronously with its orbital period, with its longest axis aligned towards Jupiter.
Metis lies inside Jupiter's synchronous orbit radius (as does Adrastea), and as a result, tidal forces slowly cause its orbit to decay, and the moon will eventually impact Jupiter. If its density is similar to Amalthea's, Metis's orbit lies within the fluid Roche limit; however, since it has not broken up, it must lie outside its rigid Roche limit.
Read more about this topic: Metis (moon)
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