Ophelia (moon)
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- There is also an asteroid called 171 Ophelia.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Richard J. Terrile / Voyager 2 |
| Discovery date: | January 20, 1986 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Mean radius of orbit: | 53,764 km |
| Eccentricity: | 0.0101 |
| Orbital period: | 0.37641 d |
| Inclination: | 0.093° (to Uranus' equator) |
| Satellite of: | Uranus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions: | 54 × 38 km[1] |
| Surface area: | ~5800 km² (estimate) |
| Volume: | ~41,000 km³ (estimate) |
| Mass: | ~5.3×1016 kg (estimate) |
| Mean density: | ~1.3 g/cm³ (estimate) |
| Equatorial surface gravity: | ~0.0070 m/s2 (estimate) |
| Escape velocity: | ~0.018 km/s (estimate) |
| Rotation period: | synchronous (assumed) |
| Axial tilt: | zero (assumed) |
| Albedo: | 0.07 (assumed) |
| Temperature: | ~64 K (estimate) |
Ophelia (oe-fee'-lee-ə, IPA: [ɔʊˈfiːliə]) is an inner satellite of Uranus. It was named after the daughter of Polonius in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It is also designated Uranus VII.[2]
Ophelia acts as the outer shepherd satellite for Uranus' Epsilon ring.[1] The orbit of Ophelia is within the synchronous orbit radius of Uranus, and therefore the moon is slowly decaying due to tidal forces.[3]
It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on January 20, 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 8.[4] It was not seen until the Hubble Space Telescope recovered it in 2003.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Karkoschka, Erich (2001). "Comprehensive Photometry of the Rings and 16 Satellites of Uranus with the Hubble Space Telescope". Icarus 151: 51–68. DOI:10.1006/icar.2001.6596. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
- ^ Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers. Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology (July 21 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
- ^ See Tidal deceleration
- ^ Smith, B. A. (January 27 1986). IAU Circular No. 4168. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
- ^ Showalter, M. R.; Lissauer, J. J. (September 3 2003). IAU Circular No. 8194. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
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| Inner | Cordelia · Ophelia · Bianca · Cressida · Desdemona · Juliet · Portia · Rosalind · Cupid · Belinda · Perdita · Puck · Mab |
| Major (spheroid) | Miranda · Ariel · Umbriel · Titania · Oberon |
| Outer (irregular) | Francisco · Caliban · Stephano · Trinculo · Sycorax · Margaret · Prospero · Setebos · Ferdinand |
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See also Rings of Uranus
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