Mab (moon) facts for kids
| Discovery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovered by | Mark R. Showalter and Jack J. Lissauer |
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| Discovered in | August 25, 2003 | ||||||
| Orbital characteristics | |||||||
| Semi-major axis | 97,736 km | ||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.0025 | ||||||
| Orbital period | 0.923 d | ||||||
| Inclination | 0.1335° (to Uranus' equator) | ||||||
| Is a moon of | Uranus | ||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||
| Mean diameter | ~24 km (estimate) | ||||||
| Surface area | ~1,900 km2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Volume | ~8,000 km3 (estimate) | ||||||
| Mass | ~1.0×1016 kg (estimate) | ||||||
| Mean density | ~1.3 g/cm3 (estimate) | ||||||
| Surface gravity | ~0.0044 m/s2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Escape velocity | ~0.011 km/s (estimate) | ||||||
| Rotation period | synchronous (assumed) | ||||||
| Axial tilt | zero (assumed) | ||||||
| Albedo | 0.103 | ||||||
| Surface temp. |
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| Atmospheric pressure | 0 kPa | ||||||
Mab is a small, dark moon that orbits the planet Uranus. It's one of the many moons circling this distant gas giant. Scientists found Mab in 2003 using the powerful Hubble Space Telescope. It was named after Queen Mab, a magical fairy queen from old English stories. She even appears in William Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet.
Contents
Discovering Mab
Mab was first spotted by astronomers Mark R. Showalter and Jack J. Lissauer. They found it on August 25, 2003, using images from the Hubble Space Telescope. This space telescope orbits Earth and helps us see far-off objects in space.
Why Mab Was Hard to Find
Even though Mab is a moon of Uranus, it wasn't seen by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986 and took many pictures. Mab is very small and dark, which made it hard to spot in those early photos.
However, scientists later found another moon called Perdita in the old Voyager 2 pictures. Perdita was even dimmer than Mab. This made scientists wonder if other moons might be hidden. They looked at the old photos again with new techniques, and that's how Mab was finally discovered.
What Mab is Like
Mab is a tiny moon. Scientists estimate its diameter to be about 24 kilometers (about 15 miles). To give you an idea, that's roughly the size of a small city.
Its Size and Brightness
The exact size of Mab depends on how bright its surface is. If Mab is as dark as another moon called Puck, then its diameter is around 24 km. But if it's as bright as the nearby moon Miranda, it would be even smaller. It might be similar in size to the smallest moons found farther away from Uranus.
Mab's Orbit
Mab orbits Uranus at a distance of about 97,736 kilometers. It takes Mab about 0.923 Earth days to complete one trip around Uranus. This means it orbits Uranus in less than one Earth day!
A Wobbly Orbit
Mab's orbit is a bit wobbly, or "perturbed." This means its path around Uranus isn't perfectly smooth. Its movement is affected by more than just Uranus's gravity. Scientists think that one or more of the other moons orbiting nearby are pulling on Mab, causing its path to change slightly. The exact moon or moons causing this pull are still being studied.
Mab's Names
When Mab was first discovered, it was given a temporary name: S/2003 U 1. The "S" stands for satellite, "2003" is the year it was found, and "U 1" means it was the first moon discovered around Uranus that year. Later, it was officially named Uranus XXVI, meaning it's the 26th moon found around Uranus.
See also
In Spanish: Mab (satélite) para niños
