Ophelia
American Heritage Dictionary:
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O·phel·ia
(ō-fēl'yə) 
n.
The satellite of Uranus that is second in distance from the planet.
n.
The satellite of Uranus that is second in distance from the planet.
[After Ophelia, daughter of Polonius in Hamlet by William Shakespeare.]
Wiley Book of Astronomy:
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Ophelia
The second closest moon of Uranus, also known as Uranus VII; it was discovered in 1986 by Voyager 2. Ophelia has a diameter of 32 km and moves in a nearly circular orbit 53,760 km from (the center of) the planet. It appears to be the outer shepherd moon of Uranus's Epsilon ring.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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Ophelia
Ophelia, in astronomy, one of the natural satellites, or moons, of Uranus.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Ophelia (moon)
- There is also an asteroid called 171 Ophelia.
Discovery image of Ophelia (top of image, outside of rings)
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Discovery
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| Discovered by | Richard J. Terrile / Voyager 2 |
| Discovery date | January 20, 1986 |
| Mean orbit radius | 53,763.390 ± 0.847 km[1] |
| Eccentricity | 0.00992 ± 0.000107[1] |
| Orbital period | 0.37640039 ± 0.00000357 d[1] |
| Inclination | 0.10362 ± 0.055° (to Uranus' equator)[1] |
| Satellite of | Uranus |
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Physical characteristics
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| Dimensions | 54 × 38 × 38 km[2] |
| Mean radius | 21.4 ± 4 km[2][3][4] |
| Surface area | ~6600 km²[a] |
| Volume | ~41,000 km³[a] |
| Mass | ~5.3×1016 kg[a] |
| Mean density | ~1.3 g/cm³ (assumed)[3] |
| Equatorial surface gravity | ~0.0070 m/s²[a] |
| Escape velocity | ~0.018 km/s[a] |
| Rotation period | synchronous[2] |
| Axial tilt | zero[2] |
| Albedo | |
| Temperature | ~64 K[a] |
Ophelia (
/ɵˈfiːliə/ o-FEE-lee-ə) is a moon of Uranus. It was discovered from the images taken by Voyager 2 on January 20, 1986, and was given the temporary designation S/1986 U 8.[6] It was not seen until the Hubble Space Telescope recovered it in 2003.[5][7] Ophelia was named after the daughter of Polonius, Ophelia, in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It is also designated Uranus VII.[8]
Other than its orbit,[1] radius of 21 km[2] and geometric albedo of 0.08[5] virtually nothing is known about it. At the Voyager 2 images Ophelia appears as an elongated object, the major axis pointing towards Uranus. The ratio of axes of the Ophelia's prolate spheroid is 0.7 ± 0.3.[2]
Ophelia acts as the outer shepherd satellite for Uranus' Epsilon ring.[9] The orbit of Ophelia is within the synchronous orbit radius of Uranus, and therefore the moon is slowly decaying due to tidal forces.[2]
See also
References
Explanatory notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Jacobson, R. A. (1998). "The Orbits of the Inner Uranian Satellites From Hubble Space Telescope and Voyager 2 Observations". The Astronomical Journal 115 (3): 1195–1199. Bibcode 1998AJ....115.1195J. doi:10.1086/300263.
- ^ a b c d e f g Karkoschka, Erich (2001). "Voyager's Eleventh Discovery of a Satellite of Uranus and Photometry and the First Size Measurements of Nine Satellites". Icarus 151 (1): 69–77. Bibcode 2001Icar..151...69K. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6597.
- ^ a b c "Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters". JPL (Solar System Dynamics). 24 October 2008. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_phys_par. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
- ^ a b Williams, Dr. David R. (23 November 2007). "Uranian Satellite Fact Sheet". NASA (National Space Science Data Center). http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uraniansatfact.html. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
- ^ a b c Karkoschka, Erich (2001). "Comprehensive Photometry of the Rings and 16 Satellites of Uranus with the Hubble Space Telescope". Icarus 151 (1): 51–68. Bibcode 2001Icar..151...51K. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6596.
- ^ Smith, B. A. (1986-01-27). "Satellites and Rings of Uranus". IAU Circular 4168. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/04100/04168.html#item1. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
- ^ Showalter, M. R.; Lissauer, J. J. (2003-09-03). "Satellites of Uranus". IAU Circular 8194. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/08100/08194.html. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
- ^ "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. July 21, 2006. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append7.html. Retrieved 6 August 2006.
- ^ Esposito, L. W. (2002). "Planetary rings". Reports On Progress In Physics 65 (12): 1741–1783. Bibcode 2002RPPh...65.1741E. doi:10.1088/0034-4885/65/12/201.
External links
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Wiley Book of Astronomy
Copyright © 2004 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license. Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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