How many satellites do Uranus have: description, features and interesting facts

"He is already a century
Among the Roman brothers are the Greek,
And through the cosmos anguish
He rushes, lying on his side. "

Olesya Yemelyanova

Ice giant

Uranium is the seventh and third largest planet in our solar system. Despite the fact that its size is inferior to Saturn and Jupiter, it also refers to the giant planets.

Uranus was the first planet discovered in modern times, but he was considered a star for a long time, despite repeated studies.

Recall that the difference between stars and planets is huge - it consists of mass, chemical composition, the presence of satellites (the stars do not have them). In addition, the stars emit light, while the planets only reflect it.

A bit of history ...

Uranium was opened 3 times. However, it was not until the end of the 1700s that the astronomer William Herschel determined that it was a planet, and even named it in honor of King George, his then patron. However, later the planet received the name of the god of Uranus, which personifies the sky. This name was suggested by the German astronomer Johann Bode. And of course, the astrogs were interested in how many satellites Uranus (and Neptune included as well, since they were studied at about the same time).

Interesting facts about the planet Uranus

Uranium, like Venus, moves counter-clockwise. The axis of its tilt is almost 100%, so it seems as if it lies on its side. The planet is considered to be the coldest known and consists of 80% of ice, its atmospheric temperature is -224 ° C. Its atmosphere consists of helium, methane and hydrogen (the percentage of the latter is 82%). It is thanks to methane that the atmosphere of the planet has acquired a blue-green shade of the sea. But how many satellites the planet Uranus, we will consider below.

One year on Uranus is 84 terrestrial years. A day on the planet lasts 17 hours. While the rays of the Sun are falling on one part of Uranus, causing an unbearable heat, the other planet is filled with cold and darkness. It has a magnetic field, similar to the magnetic field of the Earth. The planet, as scientists know, there are 13 rings.

In addition to studying the very Uranus, considerable interest among experts is caused by its satellites. Today we will look at how many satellites Uranus have and what is known about them at the moment.

The satellites of Uranus

Satellites of this planet - an interesting topic for study. For the first time, a thorough study of Uranus was undertaken in 1986. Then, using the Voyager 2 spacecraft, detailed images of the planet and its satellites were obtained. First, five large satellites were discovered, later - more than 10 previously unknown.

To date, Voyager 2 is the only vehicle that visited Uranus.

So how many satellites does Uranus have? Astrology is known for 27 satellites, 5 of which are the largest.

All the satellites of Uranus were named after the heroes of the plays of Shakespeare and Paul.

Initially, 15 satellites were known, which were divided into 2 classes: 10 internal, weak and not bright, and 5 external, large ones. They were the first to be opened.

The first two satellites of the planet were discovered by William Herschel - Titania and Oberon. Later, Ariel and Umbriel were discovered (the discovery was made by William Lassell). Their names were invented by the son of Herschel - John. And the last, a major satellite of Miranda, was discovered by the Kuiper in 1948.

The largest satellites of Uranus

Miranda. Its temperature is -187 ^o C. The farthest and smallest of the largest satellites of the ice giant. Named after the heroine of Shakespeare's "Storm". Despite the small diameter (about 500 km), Miranda has a diverse relief - ledges, plains, canyons, craters and faults. Usually, such small satellites have a more even surface.

Miranda is considered to be the ugliest companion, as it is composed of many uneven chunks. Perhaps, once it was destroyed by an asteroid, but the particles once again attracted to each other with time.

Ariel. The youngest and brightest satellite, the fourth largest. The surface of Arieli is characterized by a uniform layer and a small number of craters and covered with a watery frost. At the same time, Ariel is dotted with rifts (valleys), the depth of which reaches 10 km. Thanks to the smooth bottom of the rifts, scientists can guess the echoes of some activity. Some researchers believe that Ariel can be active even today.

Umbriel. It is considered to be the darkest of the satellites of the ice giant; it is devoid of light emissions, but has several craters with a bright bottom on its surface. Darkness is due to its antiquity. Judging by the primitive uneven surface, the satellite was subject to impacts of large formations, but with a small number of geological processes.

It is interesting that the equator of the satellite is on the border of night and day.

Oberon. The second largest satellite, the most distant from Uranus. Oberon, who received the name of the fairy king, has a surface with craters that contain traces of internal activity. Has a surface of dark color with a red tinge. The satellite is covered with traces of asteroids and a network of canyons that arose during its formation.

Titania is the wife of Oberon, according to Shakespeare, and the largest companion of Uranus. It ranks 8th in size among the other satellites of the solar system. Yields to our Moon. Titania is shrouded in a shell consisting of ice and stones. There are many craters and canyons on its surface.

Conclusion

Answering the question about how many satellites Uranus, we should not forget about the other accompanying bodies - there are 22 more. Among them are internal and irregular.

So, to internal companions carry Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressinda, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda, Perdita, Pak and Mab.

Irregular satellites of Uranus: Francisco, Caliban, Stefano, Trinkulo, Sinorax, Margarita, Prospero, Setebos, Ferdinand.

Today we examined how many satellites Uranus has, their names and features.