Cupid (moon) facts for kids
 |
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Mark R. Showalter and Jack J. Lissauer |
| Discovery date | August 25, 2003 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | Uranus XXVII |
| Adjectives | Cupidian |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 74,392 km | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0013 |
| 0.618 d | |
| Inclination | 0.1° (to Uranus' equator) |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
| Physical characteristics | |
|
Mean radius
|
~9 km |
| ~1,000 km2 | |
| Volume | ~3,000 km3 |
| Mass | ~3.8×1015 kg |
|
Mean density
|
~1.3 g/cm3 |
| ~0.0031 m/s2 | |
| ~0.0076 km/s | |
| synchronous | |
| 0 | |
| Albedo | 0.07 (assumed) |
| Temperature | ~64 K |
Cupid is an inner satellite of Uranus. It should not be confused with the asteroid 763 Cupido.
Cupid is the smallest known inner Uranian satellite. Its estimated diameter is only about 18 km.
Cupid was discovered by Mark R. Showalter and Jack J. Lissauer in 2003 using the Hubble Space Telescope. Following its discovery, Cupid was given the temporary designation S/2003 U 2. It is also designated Uranus XXVII.
Interesting facts about Cupid
- Cupid was named after a character in William Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens.
- Its dark surface made it too dim to be detected by the Voyager 2 cameras during its Uranus flyby in 1986.
- Cupid has the least stable orbit of Uranus's inner moons. Scientists believe that it is likely to collide with Belinda, a larger moon of Uranus, in the next 100,000–10 million years.
- Unlike Mab and Perdita, Uranian satellites also discovered in 2003, Cupid does not seem to be perturbed.
See also
In Spanish: Cupido (satélite) para niños
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Cupid (moon) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.