1 Cordelia

Cordelia was named after the daughter of King Lear in Shakespeare's play King Lear. Cordelia is one of the smaller moons in the Solar System and is the innermost known moon of Uranus. It has a diameter of 15 kilometers (9 miles) and is 49,750 kilometers (30,910 miles) from the center of Uranus. Cordelia acts as the inner shepherd satellite* for Uranus' epsilon ring.

 

Discovered By	R. Terrile, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	49,770 km
Equatorial Radius	20 km
Mass	0.044 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.335
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00026
Orbital Inclination	0.084 º

* Shepherd satellite a moon that constrains the extent of a planetary ring through its gravitational influence.

2 Ophelia

Ophelia was named after the daughter of Polonius in Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Ophelia is one of the smaller moons in the Solar System and is the second innermost known moon of Uranus. It has a diameter of 16 kilometers and is 53,760 kilometers from the center of Uranus. Cordelia acts as the outer shepherd satellite for Uranus' epsilon ring.

 

Discovered By	R. Terrile, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	53,790 km
Equatorial Radius	21.5 km
Mass	0.053 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.376
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0099
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.10 º

3 Bianca

Bianca was named after the sister of Katherine in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew. It is the third known satellite of Uranus and was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	59,170 km
Equatorial Radius	25.5 km
Mass	0.092 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.434
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0009
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.19 º

4 Cressida

Cressida was named after the daughter of Calchas in Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida. It is the forth satellite out from Uranus and was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	61,780 km
Equatorial Radius	40 km
Mass	0.34 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.463
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00036
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.006 º

5 Desdemona

Desdemona is named after the wife of Othello in Shakespeare's play Othello. It is the fifth known satellite of Uranus and was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	S. Synnott, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	62,680 km
Equatorial Radius	32 km
Mass	0.18 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.473
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00013
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.11 º

6 Juliet

Juliet was named after the tragic heroine in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It is the sixth known satellite of Uranus, and it was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	S. Synnott, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	64,350 km
Equatorial Radius	47 km
Mass	0.56 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.493
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00066
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.065 º

7 Portia

Portia was named after a rich heiress in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. It is the seventh known satellite of Uranus and was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	S. Synnott, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	66,090 km
Equatorial Radius	67.5 km
Mass	1.7×1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.513
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00005
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.06 º

8 Rosalind

Rosalind was named after the daughter of the banished Duke in Shakespeare's play As You Like It. It is the eighth known satellite of Uranus and was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	S. Synnott, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	69,940 km
Equatorial Radius	36 km
Mass	0.25 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.558
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0001
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.28 º

9 Cupid

Cupid, was named after a character in Shakespeare’s play "Timon of Athens", is the ninth Uranus moon; along with Mab are both Uranus satellites discovered more recently, in 2003.

 

Discovered By	Mark Showalter
Date of Discovery	2003
Average Distance from Uranus	74,800 km
Equatorial Radius	6 km
Mass	0.0038 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.618
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0013
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.1 º

10 Belinda

Belinda was named after the heroine in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock. It is the tenth satellite out from Uranus and was discovered from the Voyager 2 photographs.

 

Discovered By	S. Synnott, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	75,260 km
Equatorial Radius	45 km
Mass	0.49 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.623
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00007
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.03 º

11 Perdita

Perdita was named alter the daughter of Leontes and Hermione in Shakespeare’s play “The winter’s tale”. It is the 11th moon of Uranus and was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	Erich Karkoschka
Date of Discovery	1999
Average Distance from Uranus	76,400 km
Equatorial Radius	15 km
Mass	0.018 x 1018 kg.
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.638
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0012
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.0 º

12 Puck

Puck was named after a mischievous fairy in Shakespeare's play “A Midsummer Night's Dream”. It is the twelfth known satellite of Uranus and was discovered by Voyager 2.

 

Discovered By	S. Synnott, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	86,010 km
Equatorial Radius	81 km
Mass	2.90 x 1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.7618
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00012
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.32 º

13 MAB

Mab was named after Queen Mab, a fairy queen from English folklore who is mentioned in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It is the 13th moon of Uranus and along with Cupid are both Uranus satellites discovered more recently, in 2003.

 

Discovered By	S. Synnott, Voyager 2
Date of Discovery	1986
Average Distance from Uranus	97,700 km
Equatorial Radius	12.5 km
Mass	0.01 x 1015 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	0.923
Orbital Eccentricity	0.00025
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.1335 º

14 Miranda

Miranda was named after the daughter of the magician Prospero in Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

Miranda is a small satellite with a diameter of 470 kilometers (290 miles). Its surface is unlike anything in the solar system with features that are jumbled together in a haphazard fashion. Miranda consists of huge fault canyons as deep as 20 kilometers (12 miles), terraced layers and a mixture of old and young surfaces. The younger regions might have been produced by incomplete differentiation of the moon, a process in which upwelling of lighter material surfaced in limited areas. Alternatively, scientists believe that Miranda may have been shattered as many as five times during its evolution. After each shattering the moon would have reassembled from the remains of its former self with portions of the core exposed and portions of the surface buried. Miranda's appearance can be explained by theories, but the real reason is still unknown.

Given Miranda's small size and low temperature (-187° C or -335° F), the degree and diversity of the tectonic activity on this moon has surprised scientists. It is believed that an additional heat source such as tidal heating caused by the gravitational tug of Uranus must have been involved. In addition, some means must have mobilized the flow of icy material at low temperatures.

 

Discovered By	G. Kuiper
Date of Discovery	1948
Average Distance from Uranus	129,390 km
Equatorial Radius	235.8 km
Mass	6.4 ×1019 kg
Rotation Period	Equal to orbital period
Orbit Period (Earth days)	1.413
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0013
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	4.23 º

15 Ariel

Ariel, nombre del jefe de las sílfides que asisten a Belinda en "El rizo robado" de Alexander Pope, es la décimo sexta luna de Urano y Ariel is named after the leading sylph in Alexander Pope's poem Rape of the Lock. It is also the name of the spirit who serves Prospero in Shakespeare's Tempest.

Ariel was discovered on 24 October 1851 by William Lassell. It was discovered at the same time as Umbriel.

Ariel is a relatively small satellite and is the brightest moon of Uranus. The surface is pock-marked with craters, but the most outstanding features are long rift valleys stretching across the entire surface. Canyons much like the ones on Mars appear in the pictures. The canyon floors appear as though they have been smoothed by a fluid. The fluid could not have been water because water acts like steel at these temperatures. The flow marks might have been made by ammonia, methane or even carbon monoxide.

Ariel's composition is roughly 70% ices (water ice, carbon dioxide ice, and possibly methane ices) and 30% silicate rock, and it appears to have regions of fresh frost in places, particularly in the ejecta radiating from young impact craters.

 

Discovered By	W. Lassell
Date of Discovery	1851
Average Distance from Uranus	191,020 km
Equatorial Radius	578.9 km
Mass	1.251×1021 kg
Rotation Period	Equal to orbital period
Orbit Period (Earth days)	2.520
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0012
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.260 º

16 Umbriel

Umbriel is the 'dusky melancholy sprite' in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock, and the name suggests the Latin umbra, shadow. The adjectival form of the name is Umbrielian.

Umbriel is the darkest satellite of Uranus. It is about the same size as Ariel and has about the same density. The surface appears to be old with large craters and does not change much from one location to another. Near the top is a puzzling bright ring called the fluorescent cheerio. It is probably the floor of a crater.

Umbriel's most prominent feature is Wunda, a large ring of bright material near Umbriel's equator (see picture; the viewpoint is nearly polar). Wunda is presumably some kind of crater, but its exact nature is mysterious. Nearby, seen along the terminator, is the crater Skynd, which lacks a bright rim but possesses a bright central peak.

 

Discovered By	W. Lassell
Date of Discovery	1851
Average Distance from Uranus	266,000 km
Equatorial Radius	584.7 km
Mass	1.275 ×1021 kg
Rotation Period	Equal to orbital period
Orbit Period (Earth days)	4.14
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0039
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.128 º

17 Titania

Titania was named after Titania, the Queen of the Faeries in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Titania is the largest moon of Uranus. It is marked by a few large impact basins, but is generally covered with small craters and very rough rocks. The image beside shows a 1,600 kilometer (1,000 mile) long trench. A large double walled crater can be seen towards the top of the image. There are many faults on Titania indicating there has been internal forces molding its surface.

So far the only close-up images of Titania are from the Voyager 2 probe, which photographed the moon during its Uranus flyby in January, 1986. At the time of the flyby the southern hemisphere of the moon was pointed towards the Sun so only it was studied.

Although its interior composition is uncertain, one model suggests that Titania is composed of roughly 50% water ice, 30% silicate rock, and 20% methane-related organic compounds. A major surface feature is a huge canyon that dwarfs the scale of the Grand Canyon on Earth and is in the same class as the Valles Marineris on Mars or Ithaca Chasma on Saturn's moon Tethys.

 

Discovered By	W. Herschel
Date of Discovery	1787
Average Distance from Uranus	435,910 km
Equatorial Radius	788.4 km
Mass	3.400 ×1021 kg
Rotation Period	Equal to orbital period
Orbit Period (Earth days)	8.706
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0011
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.340 º

18 Oberon

Oberon was named after Oberon, the King of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

It is the outermost of the major moons of the planet Uranus. With a mean radius of about 760 km, Oberon is the second largest moon of Uranus.

Oberon is a moon of Uranus that is characterized by an old, heavily cratered, and icy surface. The surface shows little evidence of internal activity other than some unknown dark material that apparently covers the floors of many craters. The image beside shows several large impact craters towards the center of the image. On the limb, a high mountain rises 6 kilometers (4 miles) above its surroundings. There are bright rays similar to those seen on Jupiter's moon Callisto.

Although its interior make-up is uncertain, one model suggests that Oberon is composed of roughly 50% water ice, 30% silicate rock, and 20% methane-related carbon/nitrogen compounds. It has an old, heavily cratered, and icy surface which shows little evidence of internal activity other than some unknown dark material that apparently covers the floors of many craters. However, some large faults can be seen across the southern hemisphere, which indicates some internal activity early in its life.

 

Discovered By	W. Herschel
Date of Discovery	1787
Average Distance from Uranus	583,520 km
Equatorial Radius	761.4 km
Mass	3.076 ×1021 kg
Rotation Period	Equal to orbital period
Orbit Period (Earth days)	13.463
Orbital Eccentricity	0.0014
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	0.058 º

19 Francisco

Francisco is the innermost irregular satellite of Uranus.
Francisco was discovered by Matthew J. Holman, et al. and Brett J. Gladman, et al. in 2003 from pictures taken in 2001 and given the provisional designation S/2001 U 3. Confirmed as Uranus XXII, it was named after a lord in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

 

Discovered By	Matthew J. Holman y Brett J. Gladman
Date of Discovery	2001 - 2003
Average Distance from Uranus	4,276,000 km
Equatorial Radius	11 km
Mass	⁓ 7.2 ×1015 kg.
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-266.56
Orbital Eccentricity	0.146
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	145 º

20 Caliban

Caliban is the second largest retrograde irregular moon of Uranus.
Caliban was discovered on 1997-09-06 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale telescope together with Sycorax and given the temporary designation S/1997 U 1.[3]
Designated Uranus XVI it was named after the monster character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest..
The orbital parameters suggest that it may belong, together with Stephano to the same dynamic cluster, suggesting common origin.

 

Discovered By	B.J. Gladman, P.D. Nicholson, J.A. Burns, J.J. Kavelaars
Date of Discovery	1997
Average Distance from Uranus	7,163,810 km
Equatorial Radius	⁓ 21 km
Mass	⁓ 2.5×1017 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-579.26
Orbital Eccentricity	0.077
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	139.9 º

21 Stephano

Stephano (S/1999 U2) is named after the ship's butler in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. It is the number twenty one known satellite of Uranus. Very little is known about Stephano.

 

Discovered By	B.J. Gladman, P.D. Nicholson, J.A. Burns, J.J. Kavelaars
Date of Discovery	1999
Average Distance from Uranus	8,004,000 km
Equatorial Radius	16 km
Mass	⁓ 2.2×1016 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-677.37
Orbital Eccentricity	0.229
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	144.8 º

22 Trinculo

Trinculo is a retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Holman, et al. on 2001-08-13, and given the temporary designation S/2001 U 1.[2][3]
Confirmed as Uranus XXI, it was named after the drunken jester Trinculo in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

 

Discovered By	Holman
Date of Discovery	2001
Average Distance from Uranus	8,504,000 km
Equatorial Radius	9 km
Mass	⁓ 3.9×1015 kg.
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-749.24
Orbital Eccentricity	0.22
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	167 º

23 Sycorax

Sycorax is the largest retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. Sycorax was discovered on 1997-09-06 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale telescope, together with Caliban and given the temporary designation S/1997 U 2.[2]
Officially confirmed as Uranus XVII, it was named after Caliban's mother in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

 

Discovered By	B.J. Gladman, P.D. Nicholson, J.A. Burns, J.J. Kavelaars
Date of Discovery	1997
Average Distance from Uranus	12,193,230 km
Equatorial Radius	⁓ 82.5 km
Mass	⁓ 2.5×1018 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-1,286
Orbital Eccentricity	0.484
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	153 º

24 Margaret

Margaret is a the only prograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, et al. in 2003 and given the provisional designation S/2003 U 3.
Confimed as Uranus XXIII, it was named after the servant of Hero in William Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing.

 

Discovered By	Scott S. Sheppard
Date of Discovery	2003
Average Distance from Uranus	14,345,000 km
Equatorial Radius	5.5 km
Mass	⁓ 5.5×1015 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	1,687
Orbital Eccentricity	0.661
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	57 º

25 Prospero

Prospero is a relatively small retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus discovered on 1999-07-18 by the astrophysicist Matthew Holman and his team, and given the provisional designation S/1999 U 3. Confirmed as Uranus XVIII it was named after the sorcerer Prospero in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

 

Discovered By	M. Holman
Date of Discovery	1999
Average Distance from Uranus	16,256,000 km
Equatorial Radius	25 km
Mass	⁓ 8.5×1016 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-1,978
Orbital Eccentricity	0.445
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	152 º

26 Setebos

Setebos is one of the outermost retrograde irregular satellites of Uranus. It was discovered on 1999-07-18 by John J. Kavelaars et al. and provisionally designated S/1999 U 1.
Confirmed as Uranus XIX it is named after the god worshipped by Caliban and Sycorax in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

 

Discovered By	B.J. Gladman, P.D. Nicholson, J.A. Burns, J.J. Kavelaars
Date of Discovery	1999
Average Distance from Uranus	17,418,000 km
Equatorial Radius	24 km
Mass	⁓ 7.5×1016 kg
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-2,225
Orbital Eccentricity	0.591
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	158 º

27 Ferdinand

Ferdinand is the outermost retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Matthew J. Holman, John J. Kavelaars, Dan Milisavljevic, and Brett J. Gladman on August 13, 2001 and given the provisional designation S/2001 U 2.
Despite being seen again on September 21 and November 15 and even a year later on August 13 and September 5, 2002, it was eventually lost. It was finally recovered on September 24, 2003 by Scott S. Sheppard on images obtained by David C. Jewitt and himself on August 29-30 and September 20 of that year. Confirming observations were made by Holman on September 30.
Designated Uranus XXIV it was named after the son of the King of Naples in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

 

Discovered By	M. Holman, J.J. Kavelaars, D. Milisavljevic y B. J. Gladman
Date of Discovery	2001 - 2003
Average Distance from Uranus	20,901,000 km
Equatorial Radius	6 km
Mass	⁓ 5.4×1015 kg.
Orbit Period (Earth days)	-2,887
Orbital Eccentricity	0.368
Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic	170 º

Data from Wikipedia 2020