Setebos (moon) facts for kids
Setebos is a small, distant moon that goes around the planet Uranus. It's special because it moves in a retrograde orbit, which means it travels in the opposite direction compared to most other moons and Uranus's spin. Setebos is also not round like Earth's Moon; it has an irregular, lumpy shape.
Scientists discovered Setebos on 1999-07-18. A team of astronomers led by John J. Kavelaars found it. When they first spotted it, they gave it a temporary name: S/1999 U 1. This name tells us it was the first moon found around Uranus in 1999.
Later, its discovery was confirmed, and it was officially named Uranus XIX. This means it was the 19th moon discovered around Uranus. The name "Setebos" comes from a play by William Shakespeare called The Tempest. In the play, Setebos is a god worshipped by the characters Caliban and Sycorax.
How Setebos Moves in Space
Setebos is quite far from Uranus. Its orbit is very stretched out, like a long oval, and it's tilted a lot compared to Uranus's equator. Because it moves in a retrograde direction, it's considered an "irregular" moon.
Family of Moons
Scientists think Setebos might be part of a group of moons that came from the same original object. This group includes two other moons of Uranus called Sycorax and Prospero. They all have similar orbits, which suggests they might have formed together from a larger body that broke apart a long time ago.
However, there's a puzzle! Even though their orbits are similar, their colors are different. Setebos looks grey when we see it in visible light, just like Prospero. But Sycorax is a light red color. This difference in color makes scientists wonder if they truly came from the exact same original object, or if something else happened to change their surfaces over time.
Related pages
Images for kids
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This animation shows the discovery images of Setebos taken in July 1999.
