Desdemona (moon)

moon of Uranus

Desdemona is a closer moon to Uranus. It was found from the images taken by Voyager 2 on 1986-01-13, and was given the designation S/1986 U 6.[5] Desdemona is named after the wife of Othello in William Shakespeare's play Othello. It is also designated Uranus X.[6]

Desdemona
Discovery
Discovered byStephen P. Synnott / Voyager 2
Discovery dateJanuary 13, 1986
Orbital characteristics
Mean orbit radius
62,658.364 ± 0.047 km[1]
Eccentricity0.00013 ± 0.000070[1]
0.473649597 ± 0.000000014 d[1]
Inclination0.11252 ± 0.037° (to Uranus' equator)[1]
Satellite ofUranus
Physical characteristics
Dimensions90 × 54 × 54 km[2]
Mean radius
34 ± 4 km[2]
~14,500 km²[3]
Volume~164,000 km³[3]
Mass~2.3×1017 kg[3]
Mean density
~1.3 g/cm³ assumed
~0.011 m/s2[3]
~0.027 km/s[3]
synchronous[2]
zero[2]
Albedo0.08 ± 0.01[4]
Temperature~64 K[3]
Discovery image of Desdemona

Desdemona belongs to Portia Group of moons, which also includes Bianca, Cressida, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda and Perdita.[4] These moons have similar orbits and photometric properties.[4] Unfortunately, other than its orbit,[1] radius of 34 km[2] and geometric albedo of 0.08[4] almost nothing is known about it.

At the Voyager 2 images Desdemona appears as a stretched object, the major axis pointing towards Uranus. The ratio of axises of the Desdemona's prolate spheroid is 0.6 ± 0.3.[2] Its surface is grey in color.[2]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jacobson, R.A. (1998). "The Orbits of the Inner Uranian Satellites From Hubble Space Telescope and Voyager2 Observations". The Astronomical Journal. 115 (3): 1195–1199. Bibcode:1998AJ....115.1195J. doi:10.1086/300263. S2CID 118616209.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 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.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Calculated on the basis of other parameters
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 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.
  5. Smith, B. A. (January 16, 1986). "IAU Circular No. 4164". Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  6. "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. July 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-06.

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