Desdemona (moon) facts for kids
Discovery image of the Uranian moon Desdemona
|
|
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Stephen P. Synnott / Voyager 2 |
| Discovery date | January 13, 1986 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
|
Mean orbit radius
|
62,658.364 ± 0.047 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.00013 ± 0.000070 |
| 0.473649597 ± 0.000000014 d | |
| Inclination | 0.11252 ± 0.037° (to Uranus' equator) |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 90 × 54 × 54 km |
|
Mean radius
|
34 ± 4 km |
| ~14,500 km² | |
| Volume | ~164,000 km³ |
| Mass | ~2.3×1017 kg |
|
Mean density
|
~1.3 g/cm³ assumed |
| ~0.011 m/s2 | |
| ~0.027 km/s | |
| synchronous | |
| zero | |
| Albedo | 0.08 ± 0.01 |
| Temperature | ~64 K |
Desdemona is a closer moon to Uranus. It was found from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 1986-01-13, and was given the designation S/1986 U 6. Desdemona is named after the wife of Othello in William Shakespeare's play Othello. It is also designated Uranus X.
Desdemona belongs to Portia Group of moons, which also includes Bianca, Cressida, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda and Perdita. These moons have similar orbits and photometric properties. Unfortunately, other than its orbit, radius of 34 km and geometric albedo of 0.08 almost nothing is known about it.
At the Voyager 2 images Desdemona appears as a stretched object, the major axis pointing towards Uranus. The ratio of axises of the Desdemona's prolate spheroid is 0.6 ± 0.3. Its surface is grey in color.
See also
In Spanish: Desdémona (satélite) para niños
