Rosalind (moon) facts for kids
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Stephen P. Synnott / Voyager 2 |
| Discovery date | January 13, 1986 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
|
Mean orbit radius
|
69,926.795 ± 0.053 km |
| Eccentricity | 0.00011 ± 0.000103 |
| 0.558459529 ± 0.000000019 d | |
| Inclination | 0.27876 ± 0.045° (to Uranus' equator) |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 72 × 72 × 72 km |
|
Mean radius
|
36 ± 6 km |
| ~16,000 km² | |
| Volume | ~200,000 km³ |
| Mass | ~2.5×1017 kg |
|
Mean density
|
~1.3 g/cm³ assumed |
| ~0.012 m/s2 | |
| ~0.031 km/s | |
| synchronous | |
| zero | |
| Albedo | 0.08 ± 0.01 |
| Temperature | ~64 K |
Rosalind is one of the many moons that orbit the planet Uranus. Scientists first spotted Rosalind in pictures taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. This discovery happened on January 13, 1986. It was first called S/1986 U 4 and is also known as Uranus XIII.
Rosalind got its name from a character in William Shakespeare's play As You Like It. She is the daughter of a duke who was sent away from his home.
Rosalind's Family of Moons
Rosalind is part of a group of moons called the Portia Group. This group includes several other moons orbiting Uranus. Some of these moons are Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Portia, Juliet, Cupid, Belinda, and Perdita.
These moons all travel in similar paths around Uranus. They also look alike when seen through telescopes.
What We Know About Rosalind
Scientists don't know much about Rosalind yet. We know its orbit, which is how it moves around Uranus. We also know its size, which is about 36 kilometres (22 miles) across. Its surface reflects about 8% of the sunlight that hits it. This is called its geometric albedo.
From the pictures taken by Voyager 2, Rosalind looks almost like a sphere, or a perfect ball. Its shape is slightly stretched, like a rugby ball, but not by much. The surface of Rosalind appears to be grey in color.
See also
In Spanish: Rosalinda (satélite) para niños
