Astronomy:Stephano (moon)

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Short description: Moon of Uranus
Stephano
Stephano - Uranus moon.jpg
Discovery image of Stephano (encircled)
Discovery
Discovered by
Discovery dateJuly 18, 1999
Designations
Designation
Uranus XX
Pronunciation/ˈstɛfən/ STEF-ən-oh[1][2]
AdjectivesStephanonian /ˌstɛfəˈnniən/ STEF-ə-NOH-nee-ən[3]
Orbital characteristics
Mean orbit radius8,004,000 km[4][5]
Eccentricity0.2292[5]
Orbital period677.37 d
Inclination141.81° (to the ecliptic),144°[4]
Satellite ofUranus
Physical characteristics
Mean radius16 km (estimate)[6]
Surface area~3,000 km2 (estimate)
Volume~20,000 km3 (estimate)
Mass~2.2×1016 kg (estimate)
Mean density~1.3 g/cm3 (assumed)
~0.0041 m/s2 (estimate)
~0.013 km/s (estimate)
Rotation period?
Axial tilt?
Albedo0.04 (assumed)[6]
Physics~65 K (estimate)


Stephano (/ˈstɛfən/ STEF-ən-oh) is a retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Brett J. Gladman, et al. in 1999, and given the provisional designation S/1999 U 2.[7][8][9][10][11]

Confirmed as Uranus XX, it was named after the drunken butler in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest in August 2000.[12]

The orbital parameters suggest that it may belong to the same dynamic cluster as Caliban, suggesting common origin.[13]

Animation of Stephano's orbit around Uranus.
   Uranus  ·    Sycorax ·    Francisco  ·    Caliban  ·    Stephano  ·    Trinculo
Animation of discovery images taken by the CFHT in July 1999

See also

  • Uranus' natural satellites
  • Irregular satellites

References

  1. Shakespeare Recording Society (1995) The Tempest (audio CD)
  2. Benjamin Smith (1903) The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  3. Lessing (1914) How the Ancients Represented Death
  4. 4.0 4.1 Sheppard, Jewitt & Kleyna 2005, p. 523, Table 3.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Yeomans, Donald K. (2007-06-28). "Planetary Satellite Mean Orbital Parameters". JPL/NASA. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_elem#uranus. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 Sheppard, Jewitt & Kleyna 2005, p. 523, Table 3 ... ri (km) ... 16 ... i Radius of satellite assuming a geometric albedo of 0.04.
  7. Gladman, B. J.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Holman, M. J., Petit, J.-M.; Scholl, H.; Nicholson, P. D.; and Burns, J. A.; The Discovery of Uranus XIX, XX, and XXI, Icarus, 147 (2000), pp. 320–324
  8. Marsden, Brian G.; Probable New Satellites of Uranus, IAUC 7230, 1999 July 27
  9. Marsden, Brian G.; Probable New Satellites of Uranus, IAUC 7248, 1999 September 4
  10. Marsden, Brian G.; S/1999 U 1, S/1999 U 2 and S/1999 U 3, IAUC 7385, 2000 March 24
  11. Marsden, Brian G.; S/1999 U 2, IAUC 7473, 2000 August 5
  12. Marsden, Brian G.; Satellites of Uranus, IAUC 7479, 2000 August 21
  13. Grav, Tommy; Holman, Matthew J.; Gladman, Brett J.; and Aksnes, Kaare; Photometric survey of the irregular satellites,Icarus, 166 (2003), pp. 33-45. arXiv:astro-ph/0301016
  • Sheppard, S. S.; Jewitt, D.; Kleyna, J. (2005). "An Ultradeep Survey for Irregular Satellites of Uranus: Limits to Completeness". The Astronomical Journal 129 (1): 518–525. doi:10.1086/426329. Bibcode2005AJ....129..518S. 

External links